The Cincinnati Bengals are entering an important offseason. Coming off back-to-back missed postseasons, the Bengals are tasked with figuring out how to keep wide receiver Tee Higgins and also are looking to revamp the defense.
The draft will also supply an opportunity for the Bengals to add some talent to help keep their championship window open. Cincinnati will hold the No. 17 pick in the first round.
Mock drafts are in full swing with college all-star games on the horizon. That includes the great Dane Brugler of The Athletic posting his second mock of the season. We’ll take a look here at his two picks for the Bengals — which attack the trenches.
First, at No. 17, the Bengals select Georgia Edge Mykel Williams. This would mark the second year in a row the Bengals take a player from Georgia. Last year, it was offensive tackle Amarius Mims. This one would add much-needed help in the pass rush. Trey Hendrickson can’t do it all, though he almost did in 2024 with a league-leading 17.5 sacks.
Williams brings a motor that would complement well with Hendrickson with room to grow.
“Last year, the Bengals drafted a toolsy offensive lineman from Georgia in the first round (Amarius Mims),” wrote Brugler. “They flip to the other side of the ball and do it again in this mock. Williams looked like a future top-10 pick as a freshman, but he didn’t quite reach dominant status over his three seasons in Athens. The talent, however, is there for him to grow into a game-wrecker off the edge.”
Williams recorded five sacks in 2024 and 14 for his career. He also forced two fumbles this season and had two sacks in the SEC Championship against Texas.
In the second round, pick No. 49, the Bengals add to the offensive line with Marcus Mbow of Purdue. Mbow is a three-year starter for the Boilermakers, having experience at both tackle and guard. He started all 12 games at tackle this season after missing the second half of the 2023 season with a broken leg.
