Draft day is approaching and as we wait for the official picks to be announced nine days from now in Green Bay, it’s time to analyze another mock draft from two of the game’s best insiders and see who they believe will land with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates of ESPN alternated their selections in their latest mock Tuesday which covered the first three rounds of the draft. Yates made the first selection and, as it played out, all of the Bengals’ picks in this mock.
No surprise, he has three defensive players heading to Cincinnati with picks No. 17, 49, and 81.
Yates believes Walter Nolen (No. 17) , Xavier Watts (No. 49), and Jack Sawyer (No. 81) can help retool a defensive unit that gave up 25.5 points per game in 2024.
Yates wrote that Nolen is “a disruptive interior rusher, and his best snaps show pure dominance. Finding more consistency would unlock another level of his game.”
Nolen was the second highest graded defensive tackle at the combine, per the NFL. The former No. 1 overall high school recruit spent two years at Texas A &M before transferring to Ole Miss.
Last season, Nolen tallied 48 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and was a first-team All-SEC selection and was a finalist for the Outland Trophy which honors the nation’s best lineman.
You can read more of Nolen’s prospect profile here.
Second Round Secondary Help
With the Bengals’ second pick, No. 49 overall, Yates has safety Xavier Watts from Notre Dame heading to Cincinnati.
Watts and Travis Hunter were the only consensus All-Americans in both 2023 and 2024.
In his pick explanation, Yates wrote that Watts can be another defensive contributor for the Bengals and his 13 interceptions over the past two seasons “were the most in the FBS in that time.”
Last season, the Bengals allowed 348.3 yards per game, including 223.5 passing yards allowed per game.
Despite a shaky defensive season, the Bengals were seventh in the league in takeaways (25), yet 14th in turnover differential (+3).
Watts’ ball skills could help the Bengals’ defense get off the field with takeaways or stops, which is a good strategy when you look at Cincinnati’s offensive firepower.
Landing with the Bengals will also be a reunion for Watts, as the team brought back Al Golden to serve as defensive coordinator. Golden most recently led the Notre Dame defense and served as the linebackers coach for the Bengals for two seasons including the 2021 run to the Super Bowl.
“Yes, More Defense!”
With pick No. 81, Yates listed Ohio State edge rusher Jack Sawyer as “pass-rush insurance” in case reigning NFL sack leader Trey Hendrickson leaves Cincy.
Or, Yates wrote, Sawyer can provide support to one of the best disrupters in the league.
It was hard to not notice Sawyer during the Buckeyes’ national championship run. He was named the Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP after the iconic fourth quarter game clinching scoop and score against Texas.
In his senior season, Sawyer recorded 59 tackles and nine sacks for Ohio State.
It would also be a ‘homecoming’ of sorts for the Pickerington, Ohio, native to move a little more than 100 miles from Columbus to Cincinnati.
All these mock draft picks would give Golden and new linebackers coach Mike Hodges more talent to work with this offseason.
Hodges spoke with Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson about the excitement that comes from putting together a “new” and “unique” defensive scheme.
“We’re not going to be a carbon copy of anything that any one of us has done anywhere else. We’ve built this thing together,” Hodges said in the article.
