Bengals 2025 NFL Mock Draft: Top 200 big board determines how Cincinnati fills its needs with just six draft picks
The 2025 NFL Draft, like any draft before it, will not go by the books. Perhaps the correct phrase there is actually "by the board." There is no single big board available on the internet that will tell you how the draft will unfold. 32 different boards colliding in real time will lead to surprises in […]
The 2025 NFL Draft, like any draft before it, will not go by the books. Perhaps the correct phrase there is actually "by the board."
There is no single big board available on the internet that will tell you how the draft will unfold. 32 different boards colliding in real time will lead to surprises in players going earlier or later than expected.
The Cincinnati Bengals have benefitted to the chaos as much as they've instilled it. But what if it all went according to the grades? What would the Bengals' 2025 draft class look like if teams abided by a single big board, the A to Z Sports Top 200 Big Board to be exact?
Our latest Bengals mock draft will follow the top 200 with strict limitations. The only players eligible to be drafted have to be ranked within three spots of their picks. I'll do my best to maintain a sense of realism, but the board is gospel!
1.17: Georgia S Malaki Starks
Big Board Rank: 19
Should the Bengals draft a defensive player who doesn't put his hand in the turf, Starks is the guy I'd expect to hear his named called. A former five-star recruit who peaked as a true sophomore for one of the very best programs in the country is right up Cincinnati's wheelhouse for first-round targets. He projects as a free safety who can come downhill and tackle, the exact kind of player the Bengals will be targeting at the position.
Had his third and final season for Georgia gone differently when he wasn't moved around so often in the secondary, the Bengals probably wouldn't be able to draft Starks at all with the 17th overall pick. He's No. 19 on our board, so he's our first pick of the class.
2.49: UCLA LB Carson Schwesinger
Big Board Rank: 49
Schwesinger is the linebacker to take in the second round, and his path to the draft has been the opposite compared to a guy like Starks. Schwesinger was a no-star walk-on at UCLA and earned a full scholarship a year later after impressing on the scout team. Two years of hardly playing at all led to his first and final year starting for the Bruins, and he put all of his hard work to good use by leading the team, and the entire Big Ten, in tackles thanks to his expert pursuit ability and on-field intellect.
Cincinnati always has room for players who overcome great odds to become great players. Schwesinger is the consensus second-ranked linebacker in this class for a reason and would be one of the ideal picks the club could make with the 49th pick.
3.81: West Virginia G Wyatt Milum
Big Board Rank: 84
Milum played a grand total of one snap at guard during his four years at West Virginia, but that's the spot he'd play for the Bengals and most other teams around the league with arms shorter than 33" and a wingspan of just 80". He ascended throughout his years starting at left tackle for the Mountaineers as a stout pass-protector and a physical run blocker, but his heightened pad level may give teams pause to draft him too early.
The Bengals will be looking to draft a guard in the third round if they haven't already picked one with their first two picks. Milum represents an ideal fallback option at this juncture.
4.119: NC State OT Anthony Belton
Big Board Rank: 121
There is no confusion on where Belton would play. Standing at 6-6 and 336 pounds with over 34" arms and a wingspan that cleared 84" at his pro day, Belton would be Cincinnati's swing tackle in development. The 24-year old started his collegiate career at Georgia Military College, the same program former Bengals offensive tackle Trent Brown attended, after receiving zero Division I offers out of high school. Belton eventually transferred to NC State and started for three years after being redshirted.
Belton is well experienced and fits the size profile the Bengals look for at OT, and finding a true backup for Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims is a need that could bite them if unaddressed this offseason.
5.153: Virginia Tech RB Bhayshul Tuten
Big Board Rank: 155
A few running backs will inevitably become victim to this deep class. Tuten would be an intriguing guy to fall in the fifth round considering has legitimate 4.3 40-yard dash speed, but nine fumbles in two years playing at Virginia Tech could cause worry from some teams in need of a speedster in the backfield.
Cincinnati worked out and then talked to Tuten at his pro day back in March, so there is a level of interest in play here.
6.193: Georgia EDGE Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins
Big Board Rank: 192
It would feel wrong if the Bengals pass on adding to their defensive line, but that's just how the board was constructed for us. Ingram-Dawkins is a big-bodied EDGE who was "the funniest guy" on Georgia's team as said by Starks according to The Athletic's Dane Brugler. Fitting that he shares his name with Tyrion Lannister.
Ingram-Dawkins and Starks would be laughing together again if the Bengals and every other team would adhere to the board.
Bengals can find hometown heroes, relatives of former players, and prospects with team ties in the 2025 NFL Draft
But do they like Skyline Chili?
