Bengals get No. 1 ranked undrafted free agent to sign with them after concerning injury

Billy Heyen

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Bengals get No. 1 ranked undrafted free agent to sign with them after concerning injury image

The highest-ranked player on ESPN's big board who went undrafted was Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin.

It didn't take him long to become a Cincinnati Bengal.

The Bengals signed the skilled offensive lineman almost immediately after Saturday's seventh round ended.

McLaughlin likely went undrafted because of the torn Achilles that ended his 2024 season with the Buckeyes.

He began his college career at Alabama, then transferred to Ohio State for his final season.

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McLaughlin won the Rimington Trophy as the best center in college football despite being injured and out for the year with two games to go in the regular season.

McLaughlin also sold "Run the Damn Ball" hats for which the proceeds all went to feeding central Ohio families.

He'll just have to prove he's healthy and can still play.

"I got a lot of good tape out there, I've got a lot of accolades, a lot of experience, I can bring a lot of value to an organization," McLaughlin said at Ohio State's pro day on March 26. "So I'm not worried about it, wherever I end up, I end up and I'm excited to see where that is."

The Bengals have an established starting center, Ted Karras, but the only guy standing in the way of the backup job is 2024 seventh-rounder Matt Lee.

McLaughlin's strong pedigree and mindset can win that job, if he's healthy. That's what Cincinnati is hoping for, too.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle