Bengals See Pro Bowl Potential in Georgia Guard Dylan Fairchild
The Cincinnati Bengals are drawing lofty comparisons for their third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, offensive guard Dylan Fairchild — likening him to Pro Bowl standout Wyatt Teller of the Cleveland Browns.
Fairchild was one of 13 Georgia Bulldogs selected in this year’s draft, and Cincinnati added him to bolster protection for franchise quarterback Joe Burrow. The physical guard brings not only SEC pedigree but also a unique athletic background that Bengals offensive line coach Scott Peters believes could translate well to the NFL.
Fairchild and Peters connected during Georgia’s Pro Day, where the two bonded over their shared combat sports experience. Peters is a former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and MMA trainer, while Fairchild was a two-time undefeated Georgia high school heavyweight wrestling champion.
“In a couple of ways,” Fairchild said when asked how wrestling helps on the gridiron. “Mentally, the biggest thing — just having a relentless mindset, battling it out in the third and fourth quarter of these long games. As a wrestler, there’s no quit in you. The other part is physically. You can get into uncomfortable, awkward positions and feel comfortable.”
Peters sees early similarities between Fairchild and Wyatt Teller, a two-time second-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl lineman.
“Fair assessment,” Peters said. “Very much similar physically. Dylan has that in his body. He’s a really strong kid. He’s just kind of learning the game, and he understands the game. I’m looking forward to working with him and seeing what we’ve got.”
Known for his consistent and dependable play at Georgia, Fairchild will now compete for the Bengals’ starting left guard position — and potentially follow in the footsteps of the elite linemen he’s being compared to.
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