13. Cincinnati Bengals: James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
Something tells me the Cincinnati Bengals won’t be picking quite this low when the season is all said and done, but for now, they have the luxury of landing one of the top edge players in the class.
And it probably couldn’t come at a better time that the Bengals have a need off the edge and this is a draft class that is pretty loaded at that position group, especially in the earlier rounds. Sam Hubbard recently went down with an ACL injury. Trey Hendrickson requested a trade last offseason.
The Bengals could be in a bit of a state of transition off the edge this coming season and someone like James Pearce Jr. could really help them out, even if he’s just rotating in as a rookie.
Pearce has 7.5 sacks this season for Tennessee after absolutely dominating in 2023 with 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. He’s put together two really productive seasons in a row and looks like he could be one of the best athletic testers in the class.
14. Dallas Cowboys: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
Well, since you’re probably seeing Ashton Jeanty projected to the Dallas Cowboys for the millionth time this year, let’s talk about it again.
The Cowboys let go of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard in consecutive offseasons, bringing back Elliott in 2024 only to see Rico Dowdle emerge as the team’s top back. And frankly, the way Dowdle has played over the last handful of weeks has given me the slightest bit of pause with this projection because the Cowboys could re-sign Dowdle (a UFA after this season) and go a different direction at the top of the draft.
With as many carries as Jeanty has at this stage of his collegiate career, nearly 800 entering the College Football Playoff, this would be the first time a running back with that many touches would be taken in the 1st round since Darren McFadden back in 2008.
And Cowboys fans remember McFadden well.
Jeanty looks like he will be a huge difference maker at the next level and the impact of running backs on already good teams this year can’t be overstated. But is this too much of a luxury for a Dallas team that has plenty of other holes?