It’s obviously far too early to grade any team’s recent draft class from the 2025 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t stop people from trying to do it. The Cincinnati Bengals are in the unique position of having two members of their draft class make a top five list of AFC rookies most likely to be busts.
Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated created his list of potential AFC busts a few days ago and – lucky Bengals – they make up 40% of his list. In his article “Predicting the Most Likely NFL Draft Busts in the AFC,” Verderame has a pair of Bengals coming in at No. 2 and No. 4.
Bengals with draft bust potential
No one wants to be on this list. Especially not in the weeks following the draft. The only upside is that they’ve barely even had time to find the bathroom at the team’s facility let alone prove that they can’t play in the NFL.
2. Shemar Stewart, Cincinnati Bengals
“Stewart is a freak of an athlete. At 6′ 5″ and 267 pounds, Stewart torched the scouting combine with a 4.59 40 time,” Verderame writes. “However, the question surrounding Stewart throughout his three years with the Aggies is: Where has the production been?”
“Stewart played 37 games in College Station and notched just 12 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. If the traits can turn into numbers and impact, the Bengals should be thrilled about landing Stewart at pick No. 17. However, if he continues to struggle finding results despite obvious talent, Cincinnati could be wondering why it didn’t grab a more polished defender at such a premium spot.”
4. Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, Cincinnati Bengals
“The first of two Bengals defenders on this list, Knight has some obvious concerns,” Verderam continues. “For one, he turns 25 years old in July, making him one of the oldest players in this class. Another issue is the fact he spent six years at college across three programs and didn’t become a plus-player until he was at Charlotte in 2023, when he was already older than almost everyone he played against.”
“In Cincinnati, he’s in line to be a rotational player at first behind Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson. By the time he’s a starter, he’ll be the age most guys are when they’re signing a second deal.”
A reason this list is questionable, Bengals fans
Relax, Bengals fans, Verderame’s list is dubious at best. Nothing illustrates that point more clearly than his choice for the No. 1 potential draft bust in the AFC. Regardless of who the player is, if a guy is taken in the fifth round, there is virtually no way that they could be classified as a bust.
But, that’s what we have here and you know who it is.
1. Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns
“It’s not often a fifth-round pick is the most talked-about player in the draft,” Verderame says. “It’s also rare the player could be considered a bust when 143 men are chosen before him.”
“Yet that’s where we stand with Sanders, who goes to the Browns as a potential Day 1 starter. Sanders was thought by some media to be worth a top-three pick in the draft. Instead, he went as the sixth quarterback off the board despite being a second-team Al-American in 2024, throwing for 4,134 yards and 37 touchdowns last year at Colorado.
“If Sanders doesn’t pan out, he’ll be the latest in a long line of quarterbacks thought to be a potential franchise answer only to struggle. But if he does reach his full potential, he’s one of the great steals in recent NFL history. However, the Browns are in charge of his development, and their last 25 years suggests major concerns in that department.”
He’s not wrong about the Browns’ history of destroying players or drafting busts or creating bad situations for incoming players. That said, it’s difficult to fathom how someone could list a fifth-round pick as the player most likely to be a bust in the NFL.
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