With just 17 days until the 2025 NFL Draft, Cincinnati Bengals mock drafts are flying. At this point in the process, there is no consensus on what the Bengals should or will do with the 17th overall pick. Mocks select anyone from Ashton Jeanty to Grey Zabel to Shemar Stewart. There’s a feeling like there is a bit of a drop-off at a certain point in the first round and the Bengals are right there. Could they trade back? Will they stay put and just pick the best player available? Realistically, it feels almost 50/50 at this point because while the Bengals need a day-one contributor, they could get one later and add a later pick.
However, when there’s a mock draft out there that is bold enough to try and predict trades, it all goes insane. The Pro Football & Sports Network has one of the best mock draft machines out there and on Monday, they published a mock draft with 32 draft experts. When it came to the Bengals, they go bold.
Instead of sitting at 17 and taking BPA or trading back, the Bengals trade UP. In this scenario, the Bengals make a deal with the Carolina Panthers. The full trade would be Trey Hendrickson and the 17th pick for the eighth overall pick and the 74th overall pick (in the third round).
Bold PFSN Bengals Mock Draft Banks on Massive Trade
It’s not news that the Bengals and Hendrickson are seemingly not close in discussions. Both Hendrickson and the Bengals ownership have been making media rounds and both have said their part. Hendrickson is frustrated by the lack of respect and communication. The Bengals have stood fast in their view that they value Hendrickson at one amount and it is obviously vastly different than what the NFL’s sack leader is asking for.
So, could the team deal Hendrickson? It’s possible…but for this package? According to Rich Hill’s trade chart on DraftTek, the Panthers would be giving up about 470 total points while the Bengals’ pick is worth 296. That leaves Hendrickson worth around 174 points, essentially the same as an early second-round pick.
What They’re Saying
The pick and analysis was by The Sporting News’ Mike Masala:
“The Bengals can ship him to a team that needs help on the edge and select Jalon Walker, one of the draft’s most intriguing prospects. While his size isn’t that of a prototypical edge rusher, Walker possesses the tenacity and athleticism to cause problems for opposing tackles. He can also play off-ball linebacker, which could come in handy for new Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden.
This is certain to be a defensive-oriented draft for Cincinnati (28th in PFSN’s Defense+ metric last season). The Bengals allowed passing touchdowns at the eighth-highest rate in 2024, and part of that was their unwillingness to send pressure (25th in blitz rate).
Across the league, the completion percentage of passes when not facing the blitz was 4.9 percentage points higher than when blitzed last season. The addition of a versatile threat like Walker would give this undermanned defense more potential to create chaos and get creative with their scheming.”
Would the Bengals Make This Move?
Have the Bengals ever traded up in the first round? No. In fact, they’ve traded back twice since 2010, netting the Bengals Cordy Glenn, Billy Price, Andrew Brown, Kevin Zeitler, and Brandon Thompson. It would be incredibly surprising if they trade away Hendrickson at all, let alone if it lets them jump nine picks.
In any instance, Jalon Walker is a very good football player but he’s somewhere in the middle of being a linebacker and an EDGE. LWOS draft expert Zaeem Aamir wrote the book on Walker:
“Jalon Walker can become an absolute elite Edge in the NFL. His traits are exciting and he was impactful when he was lined up on the ball at Georgia. With him, it’s about projection, but he’s not as raw as you’d think. Walker can be impactful right away and can quickly become a high-level defender. Walker is powerful and long. His explosiveness will translate very well and his sneaky bend will disrupt opposing offenses. His athleticism will be on display in an NFL-style defense and he’ll be able to become an absolute game wrecker.”
If this trade were to happen, Walker would need to be a day-one game-wrecker, plain and simple. Plus, Myles Murphy and Joseph Ossai would need to show something that they have yet to show to this point.
Ideally, if the Bengals are shipping off a player of Hendrickson’s caliber, they’d get someone similar in talent and production. If Abdul Carter manages to fall to eight and this trade happens, resulting in the Penn State freak of nature in Cincinnati, it would be much easier to swallow.
Carter very well could be a special player. It’s always a risk when trading away players that you know can contribute for players you think can. But, that’s what the draft is for, isn’t it?
