Stirred not Shaken
Well-known member
Knight is 2 months older than Jamar Chase.
2025 Cincinnati Bengals
- Thread starter jtk
- Start date
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
Last two picks they reached for guys that probably would’ve been there a round later smh.
Orin Swift
Bkmk1 supports sex criminals
Could have gotten a better Georgia guard in the second and still gotten Knight in the third. Continue to not maximize cap space and FA and you’ll continue pigeonholing yourself into specific positions for the draft vs. doing what the Eagles, Chiefs, Ravens do.
Bengal WhoDey
Well-known member
I did like picking up the Buckeyes center as an UDFA. He may end up better than almost every pick.
Omar
Well-known member
Which is why this Franchise sucks. You’ve got a nepo baby octogenarian and his dip offspring running everything like a mom & pop store. They’re a f’n disgrace. Paul Brown should’ve pulled out.
Guillotine
Well-known member
Saw an interview with Knight yesterday and I must say his attitude and intelligence are impressive. Sometimes that's half the battle. (Jermaine Burton)
And he's an emergency quarterback! lol
And he's an emergency quarterback! lol
Termite2
Well-known member
Bengal UDFA's
QB Payton Thorne Auburn
RB Quali Conley Arz
WR Jamoi Hayes Cincy
WR Rashod Owens OK St
TE Kole Taylor WVir
C Seth McLaughlin Duh OSU 2nd ranked C in the draft great pickup
T Caleb Etiienne BYU Has physical traits, IF they can transform that to production could be starter in a few years
DL Eric Gregory Ark
DL Howard Cross ND
QB Payton Thorne Auburn
RB Quali Conley Arz
WR Jamoi Hayes Cincy
WR Rashod Owens OK St
TE Kole Taylor WVir
C Seth McLaughlin Duh OSU 2nd ranked C in the draft great pickup
T Caleb Etiienne BYU Has physical traits, IF they can transform that to production could be starter in a few years
DL Eric Gregory Ark
DL Howard Cross ND
Last edited:
Omar
Well-known member
IDC, he was a reach in R2.
Omar
Well-known member
No, at least not at Tackle. Trying to squeeze value from a non 1st Round Tackle, is a pointless endeavor, the drop off after R1 is more material than any other position.
Guillotine
Well-known member
That's fine.
But my first impression is he was undervalued. Maturity in this instance is a good thing.
nwwarrior09
Well-known member
Knight I think will be at least serviceable if not solid. The issue is they probably could and should have gotten him a round later due to there probably being a high floor/low ceiling dynamic due to him being 25 years old as a rookie.
He is probably near the exact opposite of the boom/bust dynamic they’ll likely get with Stewart. He’s probably going to be pretty much what he currently is.
He is probably near the exact opposite of the boom/bust dynamic they’ll likely get with Stewart. He’s probably going to be pretty much what he currently is.
si.com trashed the Bengals' draft:
Grade: D-
• Round 1: No. 17: Shemar Stewart, edge, Texas A&M
• Round 2: No. 49: Demetrius Knight II, LB, South Carolina
• Round 3: No. 81: Dylan Fairchild, G, Georgia
• Round 4: No. 119: Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
• Round 5: No. 153: Jalen Rivers, G, Miami
• Round 6: No. 193: Tahj Brooks, RB, Texas Tech
Analysis: It’s tough to understand what the Bengals were doing in this draft. Cincinnati had glaring defensive needs on the line and in the secondary. Somehow, the team didn’t take a corner or safety at any point, while selecting multiple guards. The Bengals also took a linebacker, in Knight, who is 25 years old after playing six years in college across three programs. The values were largely poor, and the talents don’t have high ceilings. —MV
Hopefully for the team, some of these guys come through.
Grade: D-
• Round 1: No. 17: Shemar Stewart, edge, Texas A&M
• Round 2: No. 49: Demetrius Knight II, LB, South Carolina
• Round 3: No. 81: Dylan Fairchild, G, Georgia
• Round 4: No. 119: Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
• Round 5: No. 153: Jalen Rivers, G, Miami
• Round 6: No. 193: Tahj Brooks, RB, Texas Tech
Analysis: It’s tough to understand what the Bengals were doing in this draft. Cincinnati had glaring defensive needs on the line and in the secondary. Somehow, the team didn’t take a corner or safety at any point, while selecting multiple guards. The Bengals also took a linebacker, in Knight, who is 25 years old after playing six years in college across three programs. The values were largely poor, and the talents don’t have high ceilings. —MV
Hopefully for the team, some of these guys come through.
Guillotine
Well-known member
Not if the keep Hendrickson and teach Stewart to finish. If that happens the secondary just got better.
WJ-OSU-STEELERS
Well-known member
A 1st round pick needs to come in and play, he will have to learn on the fly. The only 4.5 sacks with 39 pressures is extremely concerning. It’s the Bengals, that pretty much sums it up.
Relying on a 3rd & 5th rounder to fill one of the guard spots is a bit of a reach as well. The rb from Texas Tech they got in the 6th round looks like a potential good 3rd down back assuming he can pick up the blitz.
Stirred not Shaken
Well-known member
This draft has really strengthened Hendrickson's bargaining power.
Guillotine
Well-known member
Guillotine
Well-known member
I'm clinging to the fact he wants to be here.
The Cincinnati Bengals and contract disputes are like two peas in a pod.
It seems to happen every offseason, just with a different cast of characters. Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have finally graduated out of contract purgatory, leaving just Trey Hendrickson as the lone veteran waiting for a deal.
On the bright side for Hendrickson, he's getting some company in the form of two rookies who were just selected by Cincinnati in the 2025 NFL Draft – first-round pick Shemar Stewart and second-round selection Demetrius Knight Jr.
Both players were present at rookie minicamp on Friday, but watched from the sidelines thanks to what head coach Zac Taylor said was contract stuff. They are the final players from the Bengals' 2025 draft class who haven't put pen to paper.
www.usatoday.com
It seems to happen every offseason, just with a different cast of characters. Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have finally graduated out of contract purgatory, leaving just Trey Hendrickson as the lone veteran waiting for a deal.
On the bright side for Hendrickson, he's getting some company in the form of two rookies who were just selected by Cincinnati in the 2025 NFL Draft – first-round pick Shemar Stewart and second-round selection Demetrius Knight Jr.
Both players were present at rookie minicamp on Friday, but watched from the sidelines thanks to what head coach Zac Taylor said was contract stuff. They are the final players from the Bengals' 2025 draft class who haven't put pen to paper.
Bengals' first-round pick Shemar Stewart won't participate until his contract is signed
Shemar Stewart is the latest Cincinnati Bengals player with a contract issue and won't participate until his rookie deal is done.
www.usatoday.com
From Mike Florio:
Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart took a stand.
Without his rookie contract in place, the 17th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft was unwilling to participate in the team's rookie minicamp. Despite the criticism he has received from some, it was absolutely the right move. Given the ease with which rookie deals are now negotiated, no player should set foot on a practice field without the security that comes from the finalization of his rookie deal.
There's no reason for the team to force any player to assume even the slightest amount of risk. For first-round picks, all four years are fully guaranteed. Once the player signs, the injury risk shifts to the team. Where it should be, if the player is going to be practicing with the team.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Bengals tried to get Stewart signed. As we understand it, the talks bogged down regarding the percentage of compensation in future years to be paid as a training-camp roster bonus.
The training-camp roster bonus has become a device for putting a sizable chunk of the player's pay in his pockets in future years, early in the season. In this case, the numbers offered by the Bengals reflected a lower percentage than the 17th overall pick received in 2024.
It's a simple fix. Match or beat the percentage from 2024, and the deal gets done. And Stewart shows up.
With more and more players signing their rookie deals before participating in the rookie minicamp, every player should be willing to take a stand. The message is simple, clear, and as fair as it can be:
If you want me to act like an employee, make me one.
Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart took a stand.
Without his rookie contract in place, the 17th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft was unwilling to participate in the team's rookie minicamp. Despite the criticism he has received from some, it was absolutely the right move. Given the ease with which rookie deals are now negotiated, no player should set foot on a practice field without the security that comes from the finalization of his rookie deal.
There's no reason for the team to force any player to assume even the slightest amount of risk. For first-round picks, all four years are fully guaranteed. Once the player signs, the injury risk shifts to the team. Where it should be, if the player is going to be practicing with the team.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Bengals tried to get Stewart signed. As we understand it, the talks bogged down regarding the percentage of compensation in future years to be paid as a training-camp roster bonus.
The training-camp roster bonus has become a device for putting a sizable chunk of the player's pay in his pockets in future years, early in the season. In this case, the numbers offered by the Bengals reflected a lower percentage than the 17th overall pick received in 2024.
It's a simple fix. Match or beat the percentage from 2024, and the deal gets done. And Stewart shows up.
With more and more players signing their rookie deals before participating in the rookie minicamp, every player should be willing to take a stand. The message is simple, clear, and as fair as it can be:
If you want me to act like an employee, make me one.