Bengals aggressively fill their biggest need in latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft with a strategy they're very familiar with
If we were to fast forward to Week 1, would we see either starting guard for the Cincinnati Bengals on the roster right now? There's a chance we wouldn't. A remote possibility exists in which another veteran could enter the picture at a later date, and the 2025 NFL Draft may provide the answer at […]
If we were to fast forward to Week 1, would we see either starting guard for the Cincinnati Bengals on the roster right now?
There's a chance we wouldn't. A remote possibility exists in which another veteran could enter the picture at a later date, and the 2025 NFL Draft may provide the answer at the other spot.
Tyler Forness' latest mock draft for A to Z Sports accomplishes the latter, even if it's a player who's never repped at the position before. Not like that's stopped the Bengals before.
Bengals select Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. in latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft
There are two offensive linemen expected to go off the board early next month in Missouri's Armand Membou and LSU's Will Campbell. Neither are expected to fall to the Bengals' 17th overall pick. They went 13th and 11th, respectively, in Forness' mock.
Banks is who many expect to be the next OL off the board, and Cincinnati does make a lot of sense for his landing spot.
A career left tackle for Texas, Banks is one of the most productive pass protectors in this draft class. He checks a lot of boxes on tape and is going to be just 21 years old as a rookie this year.
That said, the NFL is really stingy about arm length and like Membou and Campbell, Banks' arms are under 34". If clubs don't view Banks in the same tier as the other two and his lack of length gets him flagged, the later part of the first round is where he's likely to end up.
With the Bengals paying both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, they need to hit on their draft picks to build up a potential Super Bowl champion. The key to that will be protecting Joe Burrow. Banks is a LT by trade but can kick inside to guard next to Orlando Brown to fortify the unit as a whole. – A to Z Sports' Tyler Forness
This shouldn't be a problem for the Bengals if they believe he's capable of playing guard, at least to start his career. Andrew Whitworth, drafted all the way back in 2006, was a left guard during his second and third seasons for Cincinnati before finally making a full-time switch to left tackle in 2009. Jackson Carman and Cordell Volson were the most recent attempts in 2021 and 2022, respectively, but neither of them were as talented as Whitworth, or Banks for that matter.
When looking at who's visiting the Bengals soon, there are a handful of college left tackles like Banks. All of them would presumably be moving inside to guard as rookies to shore up a position without a stable answer right now. Banks could be the best of the bunch.
We'll see if Banks ends up visiting the Bengals in the coming weeks. That'll tell us if they're truly interested in drafting him 17th overall.
Ted Karras sends a message to Bengals fans while taking part in famous Cincinnati Reds Opening Day Parade
A man of the people, as always.
