murrayscott9'S MOCK DRAFT
  1. Home
  2. Simulator

bengals 1/25/25

  • murrayscott9 DRAFTING FOR THE
    Bengals
Draft Selections
Tate Ratledge Head Shot
PICK: 24 RND: 1 (CIN)
Tate Ratledge
OG Georgia
Xavier Watts Head Shot
PICK: 49 RND: 2 (CIN)
Xavier Watts
S Notre Dame
TreVeyon Henderson Head Shot
PICK: 81 RND: 3 (CIN)
TreVeyon Henderson
RB Ohio State
Demetrius Knight Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (CIN)
Demetrius Knight Jr.
LB South Carolina
Tez Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 117 RND: 4 (CIN)
Tez Johnson
WR Oregon
Jay Higgins Head Shot
PICK: 152 RND: 5 (CIN)
Jay Higgins
LB Iowa
Connor Colby Head Shot
PICK: 159 RND: 5 (CIN)
Connor Colby
OG Iowa
Cody Simon Head Shot
PICK: 191 RND: 6 (CIN)
Cody Simon
LB Ohio State
Draft Picks Received
Tate Ratledge Head Shot
PICK: 24 RND: 1 (MIN)
Tate Ratledge
OG Georgia
Demetrius Knight Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (MIN)
Demetrius Knight Jr.
LB South Carolina
Connor Colby Head Shot
PICK: 159 RND: 5 (MIN)
Connor Colby
OG Iowa
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (MIN)
NEXT YEAR (2026)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (MIN)
NEXT YEAR (2026)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Ashton Jeanty Head Shot
PICK: 17 RND: 1 (MIN)
Ashton Jeanty
RB Boise State
Draft Grade — Bengals
Overall B-
ValueB NeedB TradesC+ FutureB
The Bengals won the night they stopped Simon from sliding. Grade: B-.

The value of the weekend has a name and a slot: Cody Simon, the 191st overall pick, roughly 70 picks past where he belonged. They moved the roster forward and banked a B- for it.

They covered a lot of ground and still skipped cornerback, which is a strange place to end up. If Colby pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.

All told, a draft that does its job without fuss, and there is real value in that.

Pick Analysis
Pick24 Rnd1 Tate Ratledge
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Tate Ratledge. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick49 Rnd2 Xavier Watts
Xavier Watts at the 49th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Pick81 Rnd3 TreVeyon Henderson
TreVeyon Henderson in pick No. 81 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick97 Rnd3 Demetrius Knight Jr.
A top-tier linebacker at a bargain, Demetrius Knight Jr. in Round 3, Pick 33, plain and simple. A need, and now a little less of one.
Pick117 Rnd4 Tez Johnson
Tez Johnson at the Round 4 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Pick152 Rnd5 Jay Higgins
Taking Jay Higgins in No. 152 is close to grand larceny; a linebacker that good had no business lasting this long. It fills a real need, too.
Pick159 Rnd5 Connor Colby
They jumped the gun on Connor Colby, taking him earlier than his grade liked. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Pick191 Rnd6 Cody Simon
They robbed the room for Cody Simon here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. The roster fit checks out.