Bengals select playmaker everyone already knows about for the wrong reason in latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft
The biggest stars in the upcoming NFL Draft may not be quarterbacks. Sure, there will be a couple selected very early on, but the battle for the Heisman Trophy came down to two players who run and catch the ball rather than throwing it.And the Cincinnati Bengals may be able to draft one of them. […]
The biggest stars in the upcoming NFL Draft may not be quarterbacks. Sure, there will be a couple selected very early on, but the battle for the Heisman Trophy came down to two players who run and catch the ball rather than throwing it.
And the Cincinnati Bengals may be able to draft one of them. That's the scenario Travis May went with in A to Z Sports' latest 2025 NFL Mock Draft, but not quite for the right reason.
Bengals draft Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty with 13th overall pick in 2025 NFL Mock Draft
If you've followed college football this year, you know exactly who Jeanty is. He became the most productive running back in CFB history to not win the Heisman as two-way star Travis Hunter took home the honors. Jeanty is on track to becoming a first-round pick and the first running back off the board even without crossing that feat off his list.
If he should be available for the Bengals to draft with the 13th overall pick, there's a good chance he'd be their highest-graded player available. May's justification for the pick focuses more on the Bengals' need for a running back, citing current starter Chase Brown being "not good enough."
"The Bengals don't have a functional running back on the roster. Chase Brown has been a cute story for a few weeks out of necessity, but he's just not good enough. His career-rushing success rate is still about 48%, and his small sample down to down success this year is dwindling. The Bengals get a true difference-maker here with Jeanty." – A to Z Sports' Travis May
I have to strongly disagree with this analysis. Brown may've had some inconsistencies last year as a runner, but he's taken a noticeable step forward as a feature back in 2024. He's 11th in the NFL among starting backs with a 51.8% rushing success rate, meaning he's above average and staying ahead of the sticks no matter the down or distance, and his 38 missed tackles forced is already the most a Bengals running back has accumulated in a season since Joe Mixon's last Pro Bowl year in 2021.
Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher went as far to say Brown has been the most consistent member of the offense aside from Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase!
Brown has become a seamless fit within the offense the Bengals want to run with Burrow at quarterback. The rushing attack would surely become even more improved if he were paired with a dynamic runner like Jeanty, but the Bengals don't need Jeanty because of the things Brown isn't.
On top of all of that, selecting a running back in the first round would be extremely bold for a Bengals team that needs a completely renovated defense. It may not be a luxury they can afford, especially when they were able to snag a solid starter like Brown in the fifth round from just two years ago.
Jeanty in Bengals stripes would be exciting, but let's give Brown his proper due first and foremost.
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