The Cincinnati Bengals enter draft season early again for the second consecutive year. The orange and black have plenty of needs on both sides and how they address free agency will dictate their direction in the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay. In January, we examined the defensive side of the ball, now, let’s consider three potential offensive first-round targets at pick 17 in a critical season for head coach Zac Taylor and his men in stripes.
3 Potential Cincinnati Bengals Offensive First-Round Draft Targets
Luther Burden III – WR | Missouri
With the Tee Higgins saga still up in the air, the Bengals may consider looking at a dynamic wide receiver to boost their offense even more. Enter Luther Burden from Missouri who had a solid career for the Tigers and his 2023 sophomore campaign was his best. In this season, he earned several awards including, the 2023 Second-Team All-America (AP and CBS Sports/247 Sports), 2023 First-Team All-SEC (AP and Coaches), 2023 Midseason All-America (AP), 2023 Biletnikoff Award Semifinalist, 2023 Maxwell Award Watch List.
Burden is a fantastic athlete and typically wins with his quickness off the line of scrimmage. He also has fantastic hands and is elite when the ball is in his hands creating yards after the catch. He is very powerfully built from the lower half much like Ja’Marr Chase and frequently bounces off defenders. Burden would fit in nicely in Cincinnati whether Higgins stays or not.
Luther Burden III is thunder from the slot, a position where there is usually lightning ⛈️
He excels after the catch, powering and eluding his way to 64 career missed tackles forced. He has solid hands even when contested.
He’s currently my WR2 despite a down year in 2024. pic.twitter.com/zFvuAMiyUs
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) January 15, 2025
Kelvin Banks Jr. – OT | Texas
While the Bengals have Orlando Brown Jr. under contract for two more seasons and drafted Amarius Mims in 2024, you have to wonder if they’d consider adding another powerful tackle for the future.
Kelvin Banks from Texas is an intriguing option, was a three-year starter for the Longhorns, and it’s noted that he’s more pro-ready in the run game than in pass protection. Cincinnati could ease him into the lineup if needed and use him in heavy packages to help a rush offense that was stagnant at times. Banks has decent size and athleticism for the position, and his initial quickness is impressive. You can never have enough options at OT and Banks would provide an excellent insurance policy in 2025 and beyond.
#Texas OT Kelvin Banks Jr. (6–4, 324)
Very raw, but naturally gifted pass protector. Physical run blocker. Plays with plenty of raw power. pic.twitter.com/I0ryJbJI8D
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) June 5, 2024
Tyler Booker – OG | Alabama
The interior of the Bengals’ offensive line was abysmal last season, and the play of Alex Cappa and Cordell Volson forced Joe Burrow into scramble mode and often resulted in rushed throws from pressure up the middle.
Tyler Booker from Alabama would go a long way to remedying some of these issues. The Bengals’ front office needs to reexamine how they evaluate interior offensive linemen in the draft and the Burrow era. Even in the first round, they shouldn’t rule out taking a powerful mauler such as Booker, who was a two-year starter and team captain for the Crimson Tide. His tremendous size at 6’5″ and 325 pounds allows him to erase defenders in confined spaces, and his high football intelligence and technique round out his profile, which should make him a viable option with the 17th overall selection.
#NFL doesn't like to take OG in first round, but for those teams that need IOL help, Alabama's Tyler Booker will be 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 next year.#TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ pic.twitter.com/F8Kr2G4vYs
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_Sooners) November 30, 2024
*Research courtesy of NFL.com
Main Photo: Gary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images
