2025 NFL Mock Draft: Full first-round mock draft with drama at the top

9. Cincinnati Bengals - Deone Walker, DL, Kentucky

What is going on with the Cincinnati Bengals?  This team came into the 2024 NFL Season with Super Bowl hopes and feel far from a Super Bowl team at this point.  Their defense is just flat-out awful; the pass rush simply does not exist outside of Trey Hendrickson, and a series of draft busts in the secondary has created a disastrous situation for Cincy on defense.

To the surprise of no one, their offense with Joe Burrow is still elite, and it’s actually a shame here, as Burrow is playing at an MVP-caliber level, but the Bengals don’t really have much to show for it.  They do play the Cleveland Browns in Week 7 and could very easily get to 3-4, which does give them a fighting chance.

At pick nine in this 2025 NFL mock draft, the Bengals will look to bolster their defensive line with Deone Walker from Kentucky, who could end up being the first defensive lineman taken in the coming NFL draft.  Can the Cincinnati Bengals turn their season around?

10. Arizona Cardinals - Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame

I’ve maintained that the Arizona Cardinals are going to be better than people think this season, and I’ll still stand by that.  However, this team desperately needs help in the secondary, to say the least, and simply does not have a viable pass rush.  I believe the offense is in a good spot, so my guess is that General Manager Monti Ossenfort is going to make a huge push on the defensive side of the ball next offseason.

He could do so by taking Benjamin Morrison from Notre Dame a pick 10 of the NFL mock draft.  The Cardinals would get some much-needed defensive help and could also end up being a frisky breakout team in the 2025 NFL Season.

In my opinion, they have the proper coaching and a franchise QB in place.