Cincinnati Bengals Draft Options: Who Are Some Early-Round Options as Edge Rushers?

CINCINNATI – While the Cincinnati Bengals still have a huge hole at nose tackle after failing to re-sign DJ Reader or find a replacement in free agency, that may not be the most likely target for an early-round draft pick.

Not because the need isn’t real. It absolutely is.

But the list of quality run-stoppers worthy of a Day 1 or 2 pick is a party of one: Texas’ T’Vondre Sweat.

Early-Round Edge Targets for the Bengals

Just as a team can never have enough cornerbacks in today’s NFL, something focused on here, there can never be too many edge rushers.

Targeting the defensive line in the first round isn’t something the Bengals have done often, but there is recent history with the team selecting edge Myles Murphy at No. 31 last year.

That ended a 22-year drought since the last defensive lineman Cincinnati selected in the first round — Justin Smith in 2001.

MORE: Cincinnati Bengals’ Remaining Options as Free Agency Heads Into Week 3

Offensive tackle still feels like the most likely option for the Bengals at No. 18, even with the addition of Trent Brown.

In Pro Football Network draft analyst Ian Cummings’ latest mock, he had just one edge rusher off the board before 18 — Alabama’s Dallas Turner went No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons.

But after Turner, there are more options if Cincinnati looks to add some depth behind Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, and Murphy.

Below are some possible targets in the first three of rounds, with insight from Cummings. Click on the link to the players’ names to get the full scouting report.

Dallas Turner, Alabama

Players slide all the time, but the odds of it happening to Turner are remote. But they aren’t zero.

Cummings: “At 6’3″ and 247 pounds, Turner first appears as more of a finesse-oriented player. He’s a lightning bolt off the line with absurd hip flexibility and ankle flexion around the apex. Turner’s NFL transition might not be as smooth, but he has a ceiling in the same range (as former Alabama teammate Will Anderson).”

Chop Robinson, Penn State

The Bengals have been in the market for taller, longer defensive ends for a long time. Robinson falls shy of that, but his production — and potential — can’t be ignored.

Cummings: “He might not have the elite length that other prospects possess, and he doesn’t have elite production, either. But on tape, his ability to disrupt the offense’s timing is nearly unmatched.

At 6’3″ and 254 pounds, he’s a hyperdense maniac with searing bend and bristling explosiveness — evidenced by his 4.48-second 40-yard dash and 1.54-second 10-yard split.”

Jared Verse, Florida State

He had 18 sacks and 29.5 tackles for loss in his two seasons with the Seminoles.

Cummings: “Verse entered the 2023 season as our top edge prospect in the 2024 class. At the beginning of the year, his numbers fell below his nine-sack, 17-TFL 2022 campaign, but he ramped things up with 4.5 sacks and six TFLs in the final two games.

Verse remains a first-round candidate, the only question is where in Round 1?”

Laitu Latu, UCLA

No player recorded more sacks during the last two seasons than Latu with 23.5 (Verse was tied for sixth with 18). Thirteen of Latu’s sacks came in 2023 to lead all Power 5 edge rushers.

Cummings: “If production is any indication, Latu should be in the early-to-mid Round 1 conversation. At 6’5″, 260 pounds, he checks the size box, and he’s also an impressively flexible mover who can pry past blocks with ankle flexion, brisk agility, speed, and savvy weight distribution.”

Darius Robinson, Missouri

At 6’5″ and 290 pounds, Robinson looks the part of a Cincinnati edge rusher. Joining the Bengals and getting a year to develop the way Murphy did would be beneficial for Robinson, whom Cummings has as his No. 36 overall prospect in large part because he believes he has unlimited potential.

Cummings: “At his size, with his elite length, Robinson can drive awesome amounts of power downhill on the attack, and he’s a stellar run defender with high-level play strength and leverage acquisition. He’s still growing as a pass rusher, but his ceiling is astronomical.”

Adisa Isaac, Penn State

A torn Achilles in 2021 slowed Isaac’s growth at Penn State, but he returned to have a solid year in 2022 before really taking off with nine sacks and 31 pressures.

Cummings: “Robinson is higher on this list, but his counterpart, Isaac, is also a top-50 prospect and a high-upside talent rushing off the edge. At 6’4″ and 254 pounds, Isaac has a little bit of everything: explosiveness, ankle flexion, length and power capacity.”

Chris Braswell, Alabama

Another bookend to a higher-rated teammate, Braswell has eight sacks, 10.5 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles in his breakout 2023 season.

Cummings: “Braswell has been on the rise since the summer months. At 6’3″ and 251 pounds, Braswell is very natural playing as a stand-up edge, and he has an excellent power profile with his searing explosiveness, length, and frame density. He’s still developing beyond the power element, but his upside is immense.”

Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan

Defensive linemen from the non-power conferences sometimes struggle to adjust to the size and strength in the NFL, so Kneeland could have an even bigger learning curve. But he has been rising through the draft process as teams get to know him better.

Cummings: “At the NFL Combine, Kneeland measured in at 6’3″ and 267 pounds with 34-inch arms, and he logged high-level explosiveness numbers. He’s not a speed or bend rusher, but with his raw power and hot motor, he can provide value for an NFL defense.

Bralen Trice, Washington

While the others on the list are pegged for the first or second round, Trice could fall into the third, where the Bengals have two picks.

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Cummings: “At 6’4″ and 250 pounds with nearly 33-inch arms, Trice has a solid power profile. He can assuredly go through you if he wants to — Trice has the shock in his hands and the force at contact to win head-on. But for his size, he’s also a surprisingly twitched-up, agile mover who has enough burst to threaten the apex.”

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