The Cincinnati Bengals entered day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft with quite a few holes left to fill. After drafting an EDGE rusher, a linebacker and guard in the first three rounds, the hope for many, including myself, was that they could continue to build in the trenches and add more pieces to their defense. They did the latter with their first pick of day 3.
With pick 119 in the fourth-round the Bengals double-dipped at linebacker by selecting Barrett Carter out of Clemson.
Carter measured in at 6’0” and 231 lbs. He posted an RAS score of 7.46.
He is a really good athlete and it shows on tape. He’s fast, physical and he’s athletic.
Carter played in 52 games over his four year career at Clemson (40 starts). Over that time he amassed 254 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 24 pass breakups, 3 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries. He was also a two-time All-American and All-ACC honoree as well as a Butkus Award finalist.
I really liked the Carter pick. I do believe he is still a little raw, but he has all of the intangibles and versatility to become a good NFL linebacker.
With pick 153 in the fifth-round, the Bengals selected offensive lineman Jalen Rivers out of Miami.
Jalen Rivers is an absolute monster. He measured in at 6’6” and 319 lbs. He played left tackle for Miami, but was also able to kick inside to guard.
According to PFF, Rivers only allowed 1 sack in 2024 on 348 pass attempts.
Rivers instantly comes in and fills a need that the Bengals have at swing-tackle. This pick was insanely good value for the Bengals at this point of the draft.
With pick 193 in the sixth-round, the Bengals selected running back Tahj Brooks out of Texas Tech to finalize their 2025 draft class.
Tahj Brooks measured in at 5’9” and 214 lbs. He posted an RAS score of an 8.58.
Tahj Brooks was an absolute WORKHORSE while at Texas Tech. He finished his college career with 879 carries for 4,560 yards (3-straight 1,500 yard seasons) and 45 touchdowns, 17 of which came last season. He also finished his career as Texas Tech’s all-time leading rusher.
According to PFF, Tahj Brooks had a 93.0 grade as well as 154 missed tackles since 2023, which was fourth best among running backs in college football.
I loved this pick by the Bengals at this point of the draft. They got a legitimate candidate for RB2 in the sixth-round and to me that is a steal.
I would have loved to have seen the Bengals add a defensive tackle somewhere in this draft, but they were limited with only six picks. I do think they reached a bit on the first two days, but in my opinion they bounced back in a great way on the final day. I think this roster did get better overall. How much better remains to be seen, but overall I like what the Bengals were able to do in this year’s draft.
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