11. Cincinnati Bengals - Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
The Cincinnati Bengals are in an interesting situation. The team may end up losing Tee Higgins in free agency next year. He’s playing on the franchise tag, but the Bengals are probably wanting to extend Ja’Marr Chase over Higgins. The Bengals, however, also need to hit on some defensive draft picks and build on that side of the ball more.
While I would probably say a top DL prospect is the better pick here, the Bengals cannot help themselves and take Tetairoa McMillian, one of the best WRs in the country and someone who is similar in play style to Higgins in my opinion.
Burrow gets a new WR duo in Chase/McMillan for the future as the Bengals shockingly do not address the defense with their first round pick in this 2025 NFL Mock Draft.
12. Cleveland Browns (via LAR) - Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
The Cleveland Browns did trade down with the Los Angeles Rams, but they were still able to land Garrett Nussmeier from LSU. Nussmeier clearly has a high ceiling to him but does make some mistakes you want to see go away at the next level. I truly hope Kevin Stefanski is still there in Cleveland in 2025, as he’s an excellent offensive mind and not at all any of the problem with the Browns.
The team could bring Jameis Winston back and try to develop Nussmeier behind the scenes, and at this point, as far as the Browns should be concerned, they should just tell Deshaun Watson to stay home.
Watson tore his Achilles a couple of weeks ago and may take up to 12 months to get back onto the field. The recovery time for a torn Achilles is similar to that of a torn ACL, and who knows if the Browns would even want him to suit up for the team again?