Report: Cincinnati Bengals May Be Willing to Roll Dice on Defensive Playmaker With Major Character Questions

CINCINNATI — Could the Bengals select Marshall edge rusher Mike Green in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft?

Green has two sexual assault allegations in his past. He denied the allegations at the NFL Combine in February.

"I’ve done nothing wrong," Green said. “There’s accusations out there. I’ve never been questioned. I’ve never been asked. Nobody ever asked me a question about what happened before I departed from Virginia. It was just accusations that caused me to leave.”

NFL insider Benjamin Allbright shared the latest on Green, who didn't take any in person pre-draft visits.

"He did calls with four teams, but no in person despite some reporting," Allbright tweeted. "Bengals would be 'most interested' team from what I've heard. The red flags on him were well known by Senior Bowl."

Green had 84 tackles (23 for loss) and 17 sacks for Marshall last season. He's one of the best pass rushers in this class. He's 10th on Dane Brugler's big board.

"A high-activity pass rusher, Green explodes off the ball to win in multiple ways, showing bend, speed and the acceleration force to work through contact," Brugler wrote. "Despite his lack of elite body length, his rush-move arsenal expanded as the 2023 season progressed and he learned how to be effective against frequent chips by running backs and tight ends. He went into the 2024 season focused on developing against the run—that paid off in a major way, as he showed an improved stack and shed and better overall gap awareness. Overall, Green is a twitchy athlete with the burst and body control to win one-on-one as a pass rusher and set a violent edge in the run game. As long as his character checks out, he is one of the top pass-rush prospects in the draft class, with the disruptive ability to be an NFL starter."

Green is projected to be a first rounder. The Bengals haven't been shy about taking players with character questions in the past.

Cincinnati took Jermaine Burton in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. They also selected Joe Mixon in 2017 and Jackson Carman in 2021.

It's worth noting that the Bengals traded down before selecting Carman and Mixon and that both players were second round picks.

The Bengals need to find another building block for their roster in the first round of this year's draft.

Green makes sense from a football standpoint, but they better be comfortable with his character. The 17th overall selection is an important pick that could buoy the Bengals back into Super Bowl contention.

He did calls with 4 teams, but no in person despite some reporting.

Bengals would be “most interested” team from what I’ve heard.

The red flags on him were well known by senior bowl.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) April 21, 2025