The Cincinnati Bengals are looking to bounce back from their 2024 season where they were fantastic offensively, but their defense was atrocious. Just like their regular season, their offseason has had a lot of success on offense with them extending their two star receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to four-year deals. Joe Burrow got what he wanted and it was the correct move for the Bengals.

Now the next biggest question revolves around Cincinnati’s star pass rusher Trey Henrickson and whether or not the Bengals can find a way to make him happy with a massive payday. With him recording 35 sacks the last two years, Hendrickson has undoubtedly earned himself more money.

He’s the only true threat that the Bengals have on their defense and Cincinnati cannot afford to lose him anytime soon. Hendrickson has been a Pro Bowler every year since joining the Bengals and earned First-Team All-Pro honors this past season. Even though Hendrickson deserves a big payday, the Bengals also need to add more talent on defense to help support him.

While the Bengals’ offense is pretty much all set, specifically the passing game, Cincinnati’s main focus should be hitting on defensive draft picks and bringing in some serious talent. In a recent NFL mock draft by Sayre Bedinger of NFL Spin Zone, the Bengals make a move that helps out their defensive line that should help keep Hendrickson.

Bengals mock draft gives much needed support to star DE Trey Hendrickson

In Bedinger’s mock draft, the Bengals manage to select Oregon defensize tackle Derrick Harmon who is one of the brightest defensive line prospects this year. Pairing him with Hendrickson gives a boost to the Bengals’ defensive line.

“The Bengals are now spending more money than we’ve ever seen and the NFL Draft is as important as ever. They have not drafted overly well in the last couple of years and they absolutely have to nail their picks in 2025. I love the idea of a high-floor prospect like Derrick Harmon, a guy who dominated on the interior defensive line whether he was playing at Oregon or Michigan State.”

He’s powerful at the attack and can play in different techniques on the line. Harmon recorded five sacks last year with the Ducks, a career-high for him in his college career and also found his way to 45 total tackles.

Putting Harmon on the same defensive line as Hendrickson immediately upgrades the Bengals’ pass rush and it should force offensive lines to respect the fact that they may not be able to double team Hendrickson because of the force Harmon can be.