Dylan Fairchild NFL Draft 2025 Scouting Report for Cincinnati Bengals IOL

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Georgia IOL Dylan Fairchild with the No. 81 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Dylan Fairchild is a two-year starter at left guard inside Georgia's 54-46 pass-run split, downhill run scheme, predicated on inside zone and gap concepts. Fairchild has a big, broad frame with good arm length, athletic ability and power with an attacking, physical demeanor.

Fairchild excels in the run game, using an explosive first step and jolt on contact to create initial displacement as the drive man on vertical double-teams with the ability to re-leverage his hips, stay attached, and keep defenders covered up to secure rush lanes. He is a loose, fluid mover who can close ground on second-level targets to line them up and get them corralled. Fairchild flashes the ability to anticipate and come to balance against slants and exchanges across his face but lacks consistency and will find himself in awkward, disjointed positions that sap his balance.

Dylan Fairchild Highlights

00:49

In pass protection, Fairchild shows unrefined use of hands that leave him late, his chest exposed and forced into recovery mode too often. However, he flashes impressive ability to match power and grind it down in time to anchor. He also is often a tick late and out of position against line games, delayed blitzes, and loopers that reveal his inexperience and call into question his processing skills.

Overall, Fairchild has the size, athletic ability, raw power, and demeanor to mold himself into a future starting guard. Still, it was a bit of a surprise declaration due to his raw, unrefined skill set that led to a wide floor/ceiling gap and made his landing spot a critical aspect of his projection. Due to the range of potential outcomes in his development, it is difficult to see him as more than a backup as a rookie, but the physical tools are there to take over a job at guard eventually.

MEASUREMENT AND WORKOUT RESULTS

HEIGHT: 6'5"

WEIGHT: 318

HAND: 10"

ARM: 33"

WINGSPAN: 80¾"

40-YARD DASH: NA

3-CONE: NA

SHUTTLE: NA

VERTICAL: 27.5"

BROAD: 9'3"

POSITIVES

— Big, broad frame with good arm length, athletic ability and power.

— Shows impressive twitch and burst out of his stance and in his hands to close ground and deliver jolt on target.

— Excels as the drive man on vertical double-teams with the power to lift and displace defenders off of the ball.

— Good quickness on his climbs and on screens to intersect and corral backers.

— Flashes very good body control to re-leverage, reset and regain his balance after initially losing leverage on a block.

— Plays with an attacking, physical demeanor looking to initiate contact and overrun his target.

NEGATIVES

— Will overshoot and misalign shifty defenders that puts him into wonky, compromising positions.

— Late, erratic strike timing and placement leaves his chest exposed that forces him into scramble mode to recover against power.

— Questionable processing skills against delayed blitzes, late loopers, and line games leave him a tick late picking up secondary rushers.

NOTES

— Born May 8, 2003

— 4-star recruit from the 2021 class, per 247Sports

— Won the Georgia state heavyweight wrestling championship as a junior and senior in high school with a 67-0 record

— 24 career starts at left guard

— 2024: AP All-American Second Team

GRADE: 6.7 (Potential Role Player — 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 139

POSITION RANK: IOL14

PRO COMPARISON: Wes Schweitzer

Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn