… not that this is a surprise to anyone.

Texas A&M v Ole Miss | Justin Ford/GettyImages

The Cincinnati Bengals need to go to work on upgrading their defense in 2025 so they can avoid another season where the offense has to carry the team (as was the case in 2024). Despite the offense doing all it could every week, the Bengals finished the season at 9-8 and missed the playoffs.

That’s why the Bengals have to nail this offseason when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. If they trade Trey Hendrickson, they’re going to have to ensure even more that they nail every single pick in the 2025 draft because their defense has to be better if they want to get back to the playoffs next season.

Two of the three draft experts for this piece had the Bengals adding a defensive player in their latest mock drafts so let’s see who was linked to Cincinnati this time around.

Bengals expected to nab a defensive player in NFL mock draft roundup

NFL.com: Shemar Stewart, EDGE (Texas A&M)

Charles Davis of NFL.com thinks the Bengals and Shemar Stewart make a lot of sense together. He said that this pick allows the Bengals to “fortify their defensive line and add to their pass rush”, both of which need upgraded this offseason (especially if Hendrickson does indeed end up getting traded).

Stewart is a classic case of the stats not telling the whole story with him. People might not be very impressed with his 1.5 sacks from last year but don’t get it twisted — Stewart is still a talented player who could bring a lot to this Bengals pass rush.

Grade: A-

CBS Sports: Derrick Harmon, DL (Oregon)

Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports linked the Bengals to Derrick Harmon despite not being a big fan of the Oregon d-lineman. Fornelli wrote, “I certainly understand what it is about Derrick Harmon that teams like, but I’m a bit underwhelmed when I watch the tape. Still, everything I hear from people more connected than I am suggests NFL front offices feel a lot differently, so I’ll continue mocking him in the first until I hear otherwise.”

It’s obviously a little hard to get excited about this pairing after his review but Harmon had 45 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 5.0 sacks for the Ducks in 2024. Bengals fans aren’t going to complain about the team adding help on the defensive line, so hopefully if Harmon is the pick, he can step in and make a positive impact.

Grade: B

Sports Illustrated: Colston Loveland, TE (Michigan)

Last, but not least, we have Bryan Fischer of Sport Illustrated’s mock draft. Fischer doesn’t have Cincinnati going with a defensive player, instead connecting them to yet another Michigan player in tight end Colston Loveland. This isn’t a crazy pick for the Bengals considering they might lose Mike Gesicki in free agency but this team has shown they’re fine rotating tight ends every year and if they do it again, Loveland is a solid consolation prize.

“Loveland would be a perfect replacement as a tight end who contributes a ton in the passing game and would benefit from plenty of the concepts Cincinnati runs,” Fischer wrote.

While Loveland would be able to slot in and play right away for the Bengals, there are plenty of other needs in the first round. Decent tight ends can be found later on in the draft.

Grade: C+