The Bengals dominated the NFL headlines for a portion of this offseason by handing out several boatloads of cash to their wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. They’re keeping the band together around quarterback Joe Burrow and I gotta say, I respect this. Cincinnati knows who they are and not many teams would put this many eggs into a singular positional basket.
But here we are.
Now, the Bengals must find a way to get their defense to play at a much higher level on a consistent basis to match their high-flying offense. Cincy Jungle’s Anthony Cosenza understands this, which is why with the 17th pick in the SB Nation Community Mock Draft, he’s beefing up the defensive front and selecting Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.
17.) Cincinnati Bengals: Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
Cosenza: The Cincinnati Bengals head into the 2025 season as a team with an odd dichotomy. They possess some of the league’s biggest stars on the roster, yet still have some glaring weaknesses at obvious areas. Anyone who watched the team the past couple of years has observed the defense suddenly become abysmal, so it’s up to new defensive coordinator, Al Golden, to revive the unit. With a free agency period centered around extending its internal core offensive players, Cincinnati will likely give Golden the opportunity to draft and develop talent with most of their six picks. With Abdul Carter, Mason Graham, Jihaad Campbell, Walter Nolen, Kenneth Grant and Mike Green all off of the board here, Harmon makes a ton of sense. A major part of the recent defensive issues has been a lack of a pass rush by people not named Trey Hendrickson, and Cincinnati has been clamoring for a dominant interior presence since the prime Geno Atkins days. Harmon brings a lot to the table and his being surrounded by Hendrickson, 2023 first-rounder Myles Murphy, 2024 second-rounder Kris Jenkins, Jr., solid veteran B.J. Hill and the enigmatic Joseph Ossai should make the Bengals much more diverse and capable up front.
Analysis: Harmon just might be might favorite defensive tackle in this class. He doesn’t have a refined pass rush kit but he sure does find a way to bully past blockers to wreak havoc in the backfield. He plays with high energy and it’s easy to see him fitting in on any defensive line in the NFL. If the Bengals find a way to bring back Trey Hendrickson — and maybe this is the move that helps make that happen — I’d like them to have one of the better young, up-and-coming pass rushes in the NFL.
Top five remaining players:
- Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
- Malaki Starks, S Georgia
- James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
- Luther Burden, WR, Missouri
- Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
Harmon comes off the board but he was already outside our top five remaining so we head into the next pick without any change at the top. The Seahawks are up next and with new quarterback Sam Darnold leading the way, could we see Seattle make a move for one of the draft’s remaining playmakers?
