Bengals make biggest signing possible immediately after 2025 NFL Draft

The Cincinnati Bengals had themselves a solid draft that headlines Shemar Stewart, who they drafted in the first round to pair with Trey Hendrickson. They split evenly on both sides of the ball, trying to create a balance for both the offense and defense. While Stewart was their top pick, some of their more underrated picks involved upfront on the offensive line.

They drafted Dylan Fairchildl out of Georgia in the 3rd round, and then went with Jalen Rivers out of Miami in the 5th round. The Bengals are hoping that both of these offensive linemen can help protect the franchise in Joe Burrow, but they weren’t the only linemen heading to Cincinnati.

According to Jeremy Fowler, per SportsTrust Advisors, the Bengals are signing Ohio State offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin as an undrafted free agent. McLaughlin was a solid offensive lineman for the Buckeyes last year after transferring from Alabama, but he tore his achilles late in the season which severely hurt his draft stock.

Bengals may have got a big-time steal with Seth McLaughlin

Well for starters, the Bengals are getting a potential extra protector for Burrow but McLaughlin is a little bit different than other undrafted free agents. He should have been drafted and the fact he wasn’t is very shocking. It might be because of the achilles tear he suffered near the end of the season, but he is too talented to not atleast be a Day 3 pick.

He won the Rimington Award as the nation’s best center in 2024 and earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors. Despite the achilles tear, we would have thought that a team would have taken a chance on him during the draft, but the Bengals got lucky and are instead getting him as an undrafted free agent. This is a smart pickup by the Bengals and we will see if he can make an impact like we think he can.