Twenty-five years ago Tuesday, long before social media, Zoom and the artistry that is Joe Lee Burrow, Bengals.com debuted with coverage of the first day of the 2000 NFL Draft.
In the year 2025, with the pundits still alive, we celebrate with a historic version of the Bengals.com Media Mock Draft since the real one is still relentlessly nine days away. With help of a sympathetic scribe buried deeper in the first round, we engineer the second trade in the storied mockery of the Media Mock.
The Bengals haven't traded their first-round pick in seven years or moved it during the draft in 13, and in the name of Brian Simmons and Takeo Spikes, they very well may not again.
We simply offer it as an exercise. Slapping on a dealer's plate and taking the potential next ride for a spin around Mehring Way.
With the help from our panel of beat reporters covering the teams picking ahead of the Bengals, here's the universe of players culled from the big boards of The Athletic, Pro Football Focus, and ESPN's Scouts, Inc. that could be available if the Bengals trade down from No. 17. A trade back would appear to be the answer for a team going into the draft with six selections.
Two huge caveats there, of course. A), you need to find a trading partner and B), your bucket of prospects has to be big enough that you don't trade out of getting a player you want.
And you won't know either of those things until the first round unfolds
Until then, enjoy the speculation and the anniversary read.
1.TITANS: QB Cam Ward, Miami; Paul Kuharsky, Paul Kuharsky.com
2.BROWNS: WR Travis Hunter, Colorado; Tony Grossi, ESPN Cleveland
3.GIANTS: EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State; Tom Rock, Newsday
4.PATRIOTS: DT Mason Graham, Michigan; Karen Guregian, MassLive
5.JAGUARS: RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State; Michael DiRocco, ESPN
6.RAIDERS: CB Will Johnson, Michigan; Vincent Bonsignore, Las Vegas Review-Journal
7.JETS: T Will Campbell, LSU; Rich Cimini, ESPN
8.PANTHERS: EDGE Jalon Walker, Georgia; Joe Person, The Athletic
9.SAINTS: TE Tyler Warren, Penn State; Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com
10.BEARS: T Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas; Brad Biggs, The Chicago Tribune
11.49ERS: T Armand Membou, Missouri; Matt Maiocco, NBC Sports Bay Area
12.COWBOYS: WR Matthew Golden, Texas; Todd Archer, ESPN.com
13.DOLPHINS: S Malaki Starks, Georgia; Chris Perkins, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
14.COLTS: TE Colston Loveland, Michigan; Mike Chappell, Fox59
15.FALCONS: EDGE Mykel Williams, Georgia; D. Orlando Ledbetter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
16.CARDINALS: G Tyler Booker, Alabama; Darren Urban, azcardinals.com
17.PACKERS (FROM BENGALS): DT Derrick Harmon, Oregon; Pete Dougherty, Green Bay Press Gazette
18.SEAHAWKS: WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona; John Boyle, Seahawks.com
19.BUCCANEERS: EDGE Mike Green, Marshall; Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times
20.BRONCOS: RB Omarion Hampton, North Carolina; Mike Klis, 9News
21.STEELERS: DT Walter Nolen, Mississippi; Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
22.CHARGERS: DT Kenneth Grant, Michigan; Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Timess
23.BENGALS (FROM PACKERS): LB Jihaad Campbell, Alabama; Geoff Hobson, Bengals.com
Pete Dougherty, the estimable Packers columnist for the Green Bay Press Gazette, has been covering the Packers since they signed Reggie White in 1993. He's pretty sure there's not much of a chance they'll come anywhere close to committing news like that Draft Day. Especially since, according to the DraftTek trade chart, they're giving up a third- and fifth-rounder. So a trade is doubtful in Green Bay, home to this year's draft.
But Dougherty isn't averse to helping out a guy and pulling a trade that probably won't happen. This way, Dougherty helps give us an idea if the Bengals can slide down and still get a top-ranked defender while nabbing two more picks.
They haven't taken a linebacker No. 1 since Keith Rivers 17 years ago or a linebacker anywhere in the last five years. Now could be just the time with that linebackers coach who did so well with those last three draft picks in 2020 taking over as defensive coordinator in Al Golden.
In the 6-3, 244-pound Campbell, the Bengals get an irresistibly versatile backer who not only plays all three downs, but according to Pro Football Focus, he can play the Mike or Sam in a 4-3 or a Mike who can take rushes off the edge in a 3-4. Since Golden has yet to unveil his scheme, the first big clue could come on draft weekend.
Campbell holds up on our three big boards, rating the No. 11 on PFF, 17 on Scouts Inc., and 16 for The Athletic.
In this scenario, if the Bengals go down six slots, they certainly won't have the bucket of defenders available to them that they had at 17.
Four defensive linemen shot off the board once we made the deal. In this particular mockup, the run on the D-Line begins at the Bengals' 17th pick.
Three of them were tackles when Dougherty took Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon at No. 17, noting the Packers' best run-stopper, T.J. Slaton, is now a Bengal.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin kept an eye on aging Cam Heyward's future with the selection of Ole Miss D-tackle Walter Nolen at No. 21. "Negligent," says Steelers' long-time beat man Gerry Dulac if Pittsburgh doesn't go D-Tackle here.
On the next pick, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh took his Michigan nose tackle Kenneth Grant at No. 22.
If you think the Bengals need edge rushers, three top ones are available in Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart (No. 20 in Scouts, Inc. and No. 19 in The Athletic), Tennessee's James Pearce Jr. (No. 19 in PFF, No. 16 in Scouts, Inc. and No. 21 in The Athletic) and Boston College's Donovan Ezeiruaku (No. 24 in Scouts, Inc., No. 16 in PFF and No. 22 in The Athletic.
Clearly, the top player here in this exercise is Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, rated no lower than No. 13 on all three boards. He may not be a fit for a team with a young, talented cornerbacks room, but maybe it is if he slides so low.
There are no offensive linemen who get this high on all three big boards, but Ohio State guard/tackle Josh Simmons reaches 18 on Scouts Inc., and 26 on The Athletic.
The 243-pound Pearce and the 247-pound Ezeiruaku can fly and look to be natural pass rushers. But are they too light for the ground-and-pound AFC North?
The 6-6, 290-pound Stewart has just the right measurements and athleticism, but his six career sacks have given pause to the draftnicks.
The Bengals are just two years removed from taking a gifted pass rusher in the first round with all the tools in Myles Murphy. The Bengals are banking on the 6-5, 270-pound Murphy having a break-out season. Will he have company in the talented Stewart, or the quicksilver Pearce and Ezeiruaku?
Or will Logan Wilson get his running mate in Campbell? Or will offense rule the day with a lineman?
It all very well could be a name not debated here. Which is why it's called a Mock.
One thing is for sure, though. In 25 more years, they'll still be doing Mocks even though they'll yield the same amount of answers as they do now.
Not many.
On to the next 25.
