The Cincinnati Bengals feel like a team stuck in a bit of purgatory at No. 17 in the 2025 NFL draft.
That's not to say the Bengals can't come away with a good player. But finding a prospect in that range at a good value, position of need and one able to contribute right away on a win-now cause might be tough.
Such a line of thinking might suggest the Bengals could be trade candidates during the draft, which a new mock from NBC Sports Boston's Phil Perry has them doing.
There, the Bengals strike a trade with the New England Patriots, getting a pair of second-round picks in the process:
"With the top two tackles off the board at No. 9 overall, the Patriots don't want to wait until pick No. 38 to try to get their left tackle of the future. They package together their second-rounder (No. 38) with the second they just acquired from New Orleans (No. 40) to move all the way up to No. 17, getting a fourth-rounder from the Bengals in the process."
Such a move would mean the Bengals have three picks in the second round and within the top 50 overall. While risky (and losing a fifth-year option contract on a first-rounder), that would swing the door wide open for the team to be comfortable using a top-50 pick on a guard who might be able to start right away.
That, or reloading a defense fully committed to a youth movement under the direction of new coaching, headed up by Al Golden.
While moving out of the first round entirely would be deflating on draft night, it wouldn't earn the worst grades due to the above reasons and might just be something the team entertains, too.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals' predicted mock draft trade with Patriots is interesting
