ESPN’s Mel Kiper called the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2025 draft ‘ho-hum’

Over the weekend, the 2025 NFL draft happened in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It’s a time for teams to replenish their talent and build for the future. 

Each year, ESPN’s Mel Kiper gives grades after the draft is over. Kiper gave the Cincinnati Bengals a “C” and called their 2025 draft “ho-hum.” He was not a fan of what the Bengals did with their draft capital this year. They drafted one defensive end, two offensive linemen, one running back, and two linebackers.

Why was Mel Kiper not a fan of the Bengals’ 2025 draft class?

Mel Kiper gave the Bengals a C, the worst draft grade he gave out (tied with the Falcons, who he docked for giving up their 2026 first-round pick).

This appears to be another incompetent performance by Tobin, Taylor and friends.

— #SellTheTeam (@BarflyBill) April 28, 2025

According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Cincinnati’s biggest needs heading into the 2025 draft were “Edge rusher, linebacker, safety, and guard.” With the 17th pick in this year’s draft, the Bengals selected DE Shemar Stewart out of Texas A&M. However, Kiper believed they drafted Stewart too high. According to his rankings, Kiper had Stewart as the 27th-best player in this year’s class. Despite filling a need at DE, Kiper thought the Bengals’ draft was “ho-hum.”

With their second-round pick, Cincinnati selected LB Demetrius Knight #49th overall out of South Carolina. Knight is an older player in this year’s class. He’ll turn 25 this summer. In his lone season with the Gamecocks in 2024, Knight was voted a team captain. With their third-round pick, Cincinnati selected OG Dylan Fairchild out of Georgia. He’s a two-time national champion with the Bulldogs and was a full-time starter the last two seasons. The Bengals believe he can be an immediate starter for their team.

The Bengals checked most of the boxes that they needed to in the 2025 draft. However, analyst Mel Kiper called their draft “ho-hum.” What matters is how these players develop for the Bengals. Kiper is just an analyst, and what he says is not always the truth. We saw that in this year’s draft when Kiper had Shedeur Sanders as the #1 QB in the 2025 class. However, Sanders turned out to be a fifth-round pick and the sixth QB taken. We’ll see what impact this rookie class makes for the Bengals in 2025.