The hit rate in the NFL draft for the Cincinnati Bengals has been a coin flip, to say the least, particularly along the offensive line. That said, the early returns on one of their picks from the 2025 draft look good so far.
Bengals‘ third-round pick Dylan Fairchild looks to have solidified the left guard position for the Bengals after his rookie season. He played 962 snaps, about 86.6 percent, as a rookie. All of his snaps came at left guard. According to Pro Football Focus, Fairchild was credited with two sacks allowed (22nd out of 81 qualifying guards) and five hits allowed (57th). In total, Fairchild was charged with 31 total pressures, which ranked 67th among all qualifying guards.
RELATED: Bengals draft outlook: The last 10 picks at No. 10 overall
Those numbers may not look fantastic at face value, but he was a rookie getting thrown to the fire and he handled himself well, especially against the pass (see the two sacks allowed in 629 pass block snaps). Fairchild showed the power and finesse that he displayed at Georgia. He displayed plenty of power in the run game and strength and the ability to anchor in the pass game. That second part is very exciting to hear for Bengals fan because everyone knows it’s all about keeping quarterback Joe Burrow upright, especially after he suffered another injury last season that kept him out of action for a longer period of time.
Fairchild was given a 67.5 overall grade from PFF for the season, which isn’t all that bad given all the circumstances. Having a player like Dalton Risner to learn from certainly didn’t hurt Fairchild, either.
Fairchild even garnered enough attention to earn a spot on the All-Rookie team from Ben Solak of ESPN. Solak noted that Fairchild got better each week and already looked to be ahead of the curve after being seen as a developmental player coming out of Georgia.
Draft picks haven’t always been the strong suit for director of player personnel Duke Tobin, but so far, he found a winner in Fairchild.
RELATED: Bengals players who regressed the most in 2025
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Dylan Fairchild early hit for Bengals, Duke Tobin
