Your 2025 Draft Grade: The Poll

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

Just throwing this out there during the current War Between the Negatives and the Positives () and there's probably plenty more votes to come on this thread, but at least as of right now...

2023 GtD Poll: 38.85% gave an A  / 1.28% gave a D or worse
2024 GtD Poll: 24.70% gave an A- or better / 0.00% gave a D+ or worse
2025 GtD Poll: 3.57% gave an A- or better / 25.00% gave a D+ or worse

[J24]

Best Pick Tahj Brooks RB

Worst pick- Demetrius Knight LB

View- The FO new we needed a pass rush and immediate offensive line up. Yet they draft an edge who had one and half  sacks last season and a two down lb with the first two picks? 

I, feel like this team doesn't value the proper traits to build a team. They're too focused on being big then being athletic. Particularly on offensive line and  front 7. Right now, we lack game changers in those areas.

Grade D

[puddycat]

Biggest needs were OG and pass rush which they addressed.
Day 2 picks were both taken a round earlier than projected.
Pass rush "fixed" with boom/bust pick that I hate, the only pick to address DL.
Got 3 new LBs in FA and the draft to replace 1 lost and 1 anticipated cut. No LB additions will help pass rush.
Stood pat at DT and Safety, two of the weakest units on defense. (did get a FA NT to replace FA bust.)
OG additions will not help the run game and may make it worse.

Gave a "C" for addressing crucial needs, but not addressing key depth. I see 1-2 players picked with upside.

[THE PISTONS]

(Yesterday, 09:29 PM)Nate (formerly eliminate08) Wrote: I'm not mad at all. Just not as flashy or the exact players I wanted like most fans I think lol

Sucks just having 6 picks.

I feel like this was a weaker draft crop overall compared to past years. Not our picks. The pool of players to pick from.

[PDub80]

I graded this higher than what I thought I would as it was happening: B+

Generally speaking, I felt like this entire draft class was just kind of bleh. Nothing even remotely exciting.

After marinating on Stewart, I actually like that in a field of less than spectacular options @ 17, the Bengals went with a guy who's upside is the highest possible. I'm happy with that.

- The 25 year old LB is puzzling, but they are dumping Pratt, so they need a vet to step in. This is as close as they're going to get.

I like the G from GA they got better than the one they passed on.

I think the G from Miami is fine. I like the RB. The other lB is a good player.

In a draft that sucked, the Bengals did better than suck. I think they cut Pratt and add a starting RG. That will be good, too.

Also, I LOVE the UDFAs so far.

PS: On a D that has a bunch of religious dudes, I like that the Bengals drafted a big time swagger guy with a monkey chain.

[TecmoBengals]

I just watched a lot of the Golden interviews and got excited. B+ it is!

[phil413]

I agree with some that has been said, it's hard to grade this year. I trust the staff's eye over mine, but their track record is average at best the last few years in the draft. We can think critically without being negative and expecting the worst from these kids & Knight.

I'm one of those types that values the trade down option as opposed to "we weren't going to get our guy I'm round 3 so we took him 25 slots early". Maybe that's because I believe that if you grade these guys out that someone like Knight Jr. can't be so highly rated above the handful of BPAs if you dealt down 10-15 picks and lost him. Just a maximizing value issue and not falling for a player so hard that alternatives don't exist.

I'm going to trust Golden and move my C+ to a B-. I like their overall plan and doubling down on need spots with descent players. I hate drafting for need, but we're here. I like the idea of Stewart setting the edge for these instinctive young NFL ready LBs to clean up. I would like to see a vet FA guard but if they don't then I'm content with how they addressed it here especially counting McLaughlin long term.

[Whatever]

I give it a C. They obviously had a plan and executed it, but I seriously question the wisdom of double dipping at OL and LB, which were two of the weakest position groups in this class. That, combined with pinning all their hopes on fixing the pass rush on Stewart worries me. But I liked a lot of the prospects themselves, just thought that Knight and Fairchild were a Round early.

[Isaac Curtis: The Real #85]

I gave it a D, and that was kind.

Kiper has us ranked 32nd. Us and Atlanta were the only C's he gave out, and they gave up a 1st to move up and take Pearce, and still were ranked ahead of us.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2025/insider/story/_/id/44792146/2025-nfl-draft-grades-32-teams-kiper-winners-losers-steals-sleepers-favorite-picks-classes

Fairchild was the only pick I did not actively dislike and it was still a reach.

Now, that is not to say I hate the players. It isn't their fault we picked them too high. Or just kept picking guys at the same spot and ignoring others.

But I don't think any of these guys make us better on Day 1. And if so, not by much (Knight over Pratt).

Stewart & Fairchild both have high ceilings and I hope they get their eventually.

Carter gives us better LB depth, and hopefully he can cover some, but looks LB4 to me. Rivers also ups our OL depth and is an upgrade over Stueber/Kirkland/Cochran. Or at least I think he is.

[*bengalfan74*]

I gave it a B - hoping. I would have preferred a 1st round DE with better results in College. So lets keep fingers crossed.

I wanted D, we got some D. Probably would have taken a S/LB combo myself instead of two LBers. So I'm thinking Pratt is probably gone and perhaps Wilson isn't healing well?

We had to have Oline help and we got some. When you have two of the worst Guards in the NFL it would be hard to not improve so.....

I guess they're banking on Jackson and Jenkins taking a step up this season?

And it seems we did fairly well with UDFA'a, but how many of them actually make the 53?

I dunno? we'll see how it plays out.

[lone bengal]

I went with a B- we listened to Golden and defense was our biggest issue. I think some fans get caught up with names of players and get mad when we don’t take them. For example most fans including me didn’t think Watts would make it us in rd. 2. His own DC didn’t pick him so I’m going to trust Golden on that plus he was a linebacker coach in the NFL and we took two early so I’ll trust he’s input for now. We didn’t address Safety and 3-tech but we didn’t make enough moves in FA so it was always going to be hard with only 6 picks. Hill signed a 3 year deal and Jenkins is a 2nd rd. pick who was not know as a rusher but finished the season with 3 sacks maybe they think he can rush more then the fans do. Stewart Stats concern me but DE was always a high need for me. Nobody could get to the QB and outside of Murphy no one is under contract at DE next season.

[Millhouse]

I'll play it safe with a generic C.  

It's not a draft to be excited about. And if it does end up a stinker, who would really be surprised? Probably less than if it turned out a good one tbh, but I'll stick with a C regardless.

[*Go Cards*]

B-

like both O-linemen and the RB. Like that both LBers are 3 down players with speed.

Stewart will be better than most expect yet not positive he reaches his entire ceiling, but hoping.

Age of players does not bother me much per the way the Bengals are structured monetarily. Because if any are superstars they won't be able to pay them anyway, so most are rentals now unless they're affordable when time to re-sign down the road.

[JaggedJimmyJay]

Having some time to sit on these picks and consider what I like and don't like, I end up somewhere like what follows. Grades are pointless, but I'll do it anyway -- to represent how good I feel rather than how good the pick is (because who the hell knows).

R1 - Shemar Stewart - It feels like another season where the pick that makes me the most uneasy is the first one. This has been a recent theme with Duke Tobin outside the Burrow/Chase home runs. Stewart is branded as the typical high-ceiling/low-floor gamble, and I hope that's accurate. I worry that he's better described as a moderate-ceiling/low-floor prospect. Players of a similar body-production archetype have, at best, been guys like Rashan Gary and Travon Walker (about 9-10 sacks in a good year). That's a good thing, and I would love to see that. It's not Myles Garrett though, even if the athleticism is on that level. The floor is Myles Murphy or Margus Hunt. We've seen this before, so I don't really feel great. I have been wrong before, so I will hope that is the case again.

Projected role in 2025 -- rotational pass rusher, possible starter (I think he could be in a revolving door with Ossai and Murphy opposite Hendrickson).
"Grade" -- D

R2 - Demetrius Knight - I think I am higher on this pick than many Bengals fans. He strikes me as a legitimately good player with great character and maturity. His makeup as a prospect seems right on track with Wilson and Pratt before him, and we know that has worked. If the biggest gripe is his age, then I genuinely don't care about that. If they get four years from him and he plays well enough to shore up the LB room, then that's fine.

Projected role in 2025 -- compete for a starting role with Burks to replace Pratt
"Grade" -- B

R3 - Dylan Fairchild - I also like this choice. It's fine to quibble about his "value" relative to draft position, but that's really all guesswork anyway. I know of at least two big draft outlets that had him in rounds 3-4, so I don't view it as some egregious reach. The guard position is a black hole on this roster without this pick, so we know there's a clear need and opportunity. Indeed, given his pedigree at Georgia, I think it's fair to expect him to step in and outperform Cordell Volson. There's no guarantee of that, but I like his chances. He's also another rock-solid character pick.

Projected role in 2025 -- starting left guard
"Grade" - B

R4 - Barrett Carter - Good pick. I'm not sure it was "necessary" to double-dip at linebacker, but in the fourth round who cares. I think he's a good player that should have every opportunity to contribute in the scheme Al Golden has advertised. Between the higher emphasis on 4-3 packages and the need for special teams help, Carter should be able to find a role. I think he can be an ADG-type depth piece. I like him more than the LBers already on the roster behind the starters and Burks.

Projected role in 2025 -- defensive depth, 4-3 packages, and special teams
"Grade" - B

R5 - Jalen Rivers - I'm not going to complain about more OL depth. This team has struggled so much in recent memory, including during deep playoff runs, because their OL depth wasn't good enough to cross the finish line. I am not sure if Rivers changes that, but he at least represents an effort. I could say "I'd have preferred Mbow", which, fine, but I will save that gripe until Mbow plays a down. I also like that he has significant collegiate experience at both guard and tackle. He also snapped the ball at the Senior Bowl.

Projected role in 2025 -- OL swing depth
"Grade" - C

R6 - Tahj Brooks - I really don't care about this choice either way. Maybe he can contribute on special teams. I don't think running back was a need, and I have no clue about this player as a talent. He'll have to provide an immediate spark in camp and during the preseason, or his ceiling on this roster is probably pretty low. I don't figure he has a leg up over Moss or Perine for snaps in the immediate present. We've seen that before with Chris Evans. He could theoretically upgrade Trayveon Williams, but that means very little to me.

Projectetd role in 2025 -- 4th running back, special teams, possibly cut
"Grade" - C

Put it all together with added weight for the early rounds, and I end up in the vicinity of a C overall. Sure. I guess that's about how I feel.

[Goalpost]

I'll give it a C plus.  They had so many needs, they could not possibly fill them all with 6 picks.  

I liked the LB picks though.  Until Campbell's injury was known, he was my pick in round 1.
 
Stewart is the story of this team's draft with a chance the grade could go higher, but not at this point.

[TecmoBengals]

(6 hours ago)lone bengal Wrote: I went with a B- we listened to Golden 

Golden talked a lot how the coaches relied on the months and months, and even years, or work done by scouts. I don't think he alone called the shots.

He does like that he can put the defense in the base more.

He also values intelligent guys that can make split second and real time on field decisions.

[Timanky12]

Consensus is the Bengals draft graded out as a C, I’m shocked, Ho would have expected that. Lol

[*Nately120*]

[Boomer Anderson]

I”m 55. Been a fan for life. I’ve actually seen us grade out really well by the “experts” and they turned out to be crap. So, who really knows? How many sacks or tackles for loss does Mel Kiper have? We suck at the draft so hopefully , DC and OL coach got their guys.

I was upset with Stewart pick as I thought there were so many more players with proven results in college vs potential. But, college football is a different story than NFL. If the dude kills it and becomes Garrett 2.0 we’re all going to give it an A.

I gave it a safe C cause who ever really knows.

I do believe that we are DUE for some good fortune someday so maybe these guys will surprise us all. Who Dey

[Ell Prez]

(Yesterday, 09:09 PM)bfine32 Wrote: I have 0 idea why folks are downgrading the Knight pick because he's 25. We've got him for 4-years and we're not in the middle of a long rebuild. If he's too old at 29 in 4-years let him walk and get another one. I'm worried about how he'll do over the next couple years, not the next decade.

As to the draft the only fine favs on it are Stewart and Fairchild. But I dig that everyone appears to be of high quality and only 1 (Rivers) comes with injury concerns.

I'll give it a B-  

Because if he hits (just basic statistics makes any draft pick hitting a low number), then you can’t really resign him and you have to replace him again with draft capital and you have to hit again. If he’s 20 and hits, you resign him and your next pick hits…you now have 2 really good players as opposed to 1 on the roster.

He looked good as a 26 year old man playing against college boys. How’s he doing to do against grown nfl men? Well see