Technically speaking, the Cincinnati Bengals attempted to find a replacement for DJ Reader in last year’s draft with the duo of Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson.
But that won’t stop 2025 NFL mock drafts from doing the same thing again.
Bleacher Report’s latest draft outlook slotted the Bengals as a nice fit for Michigan star Mason Graham:
Lou Anarumo’s defense relies on the front four winning their matchups. They’re middle of the road in terms of blitz frequency and the unit was much reader when D.J. Reader was taking on double teams and eating up space for linebackers to attack. Graham isn’t an exact analog for Reader, but he would give the Bengals a high-potential star on the inside again.
When a defense is as bad as what the Bengals put on the field right now, new mock drafts aren’t going to care much that the team already drafted Jenkins and Jackson.
Both of those guys could turn out to be great players, but adding another blue-chip prospect at a good value in the first round is the smart approach.
Cincinnati almost oddly attempted to replace the massive Reader with a rotational platoon of smaller guys and that has backfired. Graham would be an ideal addition early in Round 1 capable of making the entire rest of the defense better.
