NFL Draft countdown: Focus on Bengals' first-round pick at No. 17

While he hasn't shown a great deal of pass-rush moves, the 6-foot-5, 310-pound former Duck is a powerful player with an exceptional bull-rush.

Cincinnati gave defensive tackle B.J. Hill a three-year, $33M contract in the offseason but never recovered from losing D.J. Reader last offseason. Adding Harmon would only help.

DT Kenneth Grant | Michigan

USA Today’s Tyler Dragon mentions Reader specifically in his mock draft, calling his departure “a significant loss” while describing Grant as “the type of player who can fill the void in the interior.”

Grant had 6.5 sacks in three years with Michigan and set career marks in tackles (32) and passes defended (five) in 2024. A hamstring injury kept the 6-foot-3, 339-pound prospect from participating at the NFL Scouting Combine but he impressed at Michigan’s Pro Day with a 5.11 40-yard dash, a 31-inch vertical leap and an 8-foot-9-inch broad jump.

Pro Football Focus ranks Grant as the second-best interior defender in the draft behind teammate Mason Graham. Overall, they rate him as the 17th-best prospect available which only seems fair given Cincinnati’s current draft position.

DE Mike Green | Marshall

The Bengals’ 36 sacks tied for seventh-fewest among NFL defenses last year, so adding a talented edge-rusher like Green to the mix makes sense as well. While noting Green’s off the field concerns, NFL.com’s Eric Edholm calls  the 6-foot-3, 251-pound lineman a “a ready-made pass-rush talent” that plays “ full tilt and has an arsenal of moves to get home.”

At the scouting combine, Green told reporters he has been accused of sexual assault twice, allegations he denies but acknowledges he was suspended from Virginia before transferring to Marshall in 2023.

Green had 43 tackles and 4.5 sacks that year before registering 84 tackles, 52 pressures and leading the FBS with 17 sacks last season. Assuming his issues are resolved to the satisfaction of team owner Mike Brown, Green could be a force for the Bengals’ lackluster defense.