17. Cincinnati Bengals: Derrick Harmon, DL, Oregon
After spending a boatload of cash to get a long-term extension done with superstar quarterback Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals continued to do what we’ve really never seen them do before: Spend a lot of money.
It seems Burrow convinced the powers that be to bring back both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on mammoth contracts, and they also brought Mike Gesicki back on a very solid contract. Now they are in talks to bring back Trey Hendrickson?
The Bengals are now spending more money than we’ve ever seen and the NFL Draft is as important as ever. They have not drafted overly well in the last couple of years and they absolutely have to nail their picks in 2025. I love the idea of a high-floor prospect like Derrick Harmon, a guy who dominated on the interior defensive line whether he was playing at Oregon or Michigan State.
18. Seattle Seahawks: Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State
If you look at the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive line depth chart right now, you might share in my worry for Sam Darnold’s life. He won’t just be seeing ghosts in Seattle this time, though. It will be 300-pound human beings haunting him consistently.
If the Sam Darnold experiment is going to go in Seattle’s favor, they have to do him a couple of favors. I think we’re going to see the Seahawks heavily emphasize the interior offensive line very early in this draft class and here they get arguably the top interior lineman in the class – North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel.
Despite playing at a lower level of competition, Zabel – transitioning from tackle to the interior – dominated consistently at Senior Bowl practices and drew a lot of attention from the talent evaluators on hand. His hype has grown tremendously in recent weeks, and he seems to be a lock for the top 32 overall selections.