The Cincinnati Bengals are reportedly likely to be cutting star linebacker Germaine Pratt in the near future, so the team will need someone to come in and fill the hole he leaves behind.

The team might have gotten that guy in the 2025 NFL Draft.

In a recent article by PFF’s Trevor Sikkema, he outlines his favorite draft pick that every team made. For the Bengals, the players he lists is former South Carolina linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr., who the team got with the No. 47 pick in the second round.

“When the Bengals defense was at its best — in the team’s 2021 season — it had top-tier linebacker play. The unit lacked playmakers around middle linebacker Logan Wilson heading into the draft, and that’s where Knight fills a big hole,” Sikkema writes. “He can use his speed as an ideal weakside linebacker next to Wilson.”

Pratt (who is playing on a $20 million total contract) was one of the best tackles in the NFL in 2024 with 143, and Knight – lofty though the goal seems to be – could be that kind of guy for the Bengals.

He finished his one and only season at South Carolina with 82 total tackles, with eight of them being for a loss. He was also able to show his versatility by getting to the quarterback and recording two sacks, as well as snagging an interception.

The Bengals defense has been disappointing the past several seasons, and Knight be will be looking to help the team turn it around.