Bengals are not hiding their interest in one of the best positions the 2025 NFL Draft has to offer, and a clever strategy may be at play
The Cincinnati Bengals want to pair Chase Brown with another running back. The 2025 NFL Draft has a plethora of running backs to choose from. It suits the Bengals to get to know as many of them as possible. Especially the ones from around the area.Ohio State tailbacks TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins have already met […]
The Cincinnati Bengals want to pair Chase Brown with another running back. The 2025 NFL Draft has a plethora of running backs to choose from. It suits the Bengals to get to know as many of them as possible.
Especially the ones from around the area.
Ohio State tailbacks TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins have already met or will meet with the Bengals this week. Both of those visits are considered local since they played at OSU. Another local visit happened this morning with another Big 10 back.
Bengals host Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson on local pre-draft visit
Johnson played three years at Iowa and emerged as the full-time starter in his third year. He ran for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns without fumbling once and is considered one of the five best backs in this class.
Johnson's visit is considered local since he grew up in the area. The 21-year old played high school football at Hamilton High School, around 40 miles north of Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati.
Hendrson and Judkins are right next to Johnson when looking at most rankings and could all go off the board before the Bengals pick in the third round. All three have been or will be in town to meet with the team this week, indicating that Cincinnati is serious about drafting a running back fairly early in two week's time.
Or at the very least, they're open to that path if the board falls a certain way.
Why the Bengals are meeting with so many running backs
The advantage of one position being stacked with talent is that said talent can sometimes fall through the cracks. The Athletic's Dane Brugler officially has 20 running backs carrying at least a fourth-round grade, and most big boards have around that number in the top 150.
If most teams in need of a running back feel the same about the class, then there may not be much urgency to pick one as early as possible with the knowledge that plenty of quality players will be available later.
It's a buyer's market, and the Bengals may want to capitalize on it.
In the event that one of Henderson, Judkins, or even Johnson were to fall past their expect draft spot and present value at a later pick, the Bengals would be ready to send the pick in having check their respective backgrounds.
Could they select one of them in the second round? Possibly. But with more pressing needs like guard, linebacker, safety, and defensive linemen, it's difficult to imagine a running back would be the pick if players of similar grades at the more valuable positions were available.
If runs on those positions were to happen and running back becomes the best value, that's another conversation and it's worth planning for that contingency.
It should also be noted that the Bengals haven't drafted a running back higher than the fifth round since head coach Zac Taylor arrived in 2019. Trends can be bucked, but with Brown having earned so much trust as the starter last year, drafting his complement much earlier than he was picked feels unlikely.
Preparing for such unlikely scenarios is how teams put together quality draft classes. Cincinnati is doing its due diligence, but the end result isn't so easily predictable despite clear interest being shown.
Bengals 2025 Pre-Draft Visits: Tracking all the players Cincinnati is meeting with with leading up to the NFL Draft
A complete list of players visiting Cincinnati leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft.
