CINCINNATI — ESPN’s Matt Miller dropped his final mock draft of the 2025 cycle on Thursday, noting an interesting declaration from one source.

Miller has Cincinnati taking Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart at Pick 17.

“A source told me not to overthink the Bengals’ draft plans, saying, ‘They have to get a rusher.’ Stewart is a toolsy player with high upside who could eventually replace Trey Hendrickson,” Miller wrote.

Cincinnati has boxed themselves in a bit today with how they’ve handled the 2025 offseason. They have major needs in the trenches on both sides of the ball, making it a little more difficult to go best player available at Pick 17.

Stewart could end up being the best player available in hindsight as the 18th-best player overall and fifth-best edge rusher on the consensus big board.