Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Cincinnati Bengals have shifted their draft strategy after trading their first-round pick to the New York Giants for defensive anchor Dexter Lawrence.
- The team now focuses on addressing remaining needs through later-round selections, including potential additions to the edge rush and secondary positions.
- This mock draft highlights how Cincinnati plans to build depth and find future contributors across multiple levels of the defense in the coming months.
The Cincinnati Bengals no longer hold the No. 10 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after sending that pick to the New York Giants in a deal that netted Dexter Lawrence, possibly the NFL's best nose tackle.
Adding size to the defensive front is now checked off the list of Bengals offseason needs, but that list remians plenty long — and with Lawrence now in tow, the urgency just ratched up for Duke Tobin and Co. to put a championship roster around Joe Burrow as soon as possible. Cincy now has to do that without a first-round pick, but the good news is this draft should still offer the Bengals a chance to complete their defensive overhaul.
Round 2, Pick 41: EDGE Zion Young, Missouri
Lawrence improves the middle of the Bengals' front seven, but he's coming off a season where he struggled to create interior pressure, so adding an edge rusher who can get into the backfield would be a smart move.
While the Bengals will miss out on the top edge guys in this class, there's a decent chance that Missouri's Zion Young is still on the board when the team makes its first selection of the 2026 NFL Draft in the second round. Young isn't the quickest guy in the world, but he makes up for that by being one of the stronger EDGE prospects in this class. He might not have the raw speed to get around the tackle, but he has the strength and force to go through the tackle, and he should also help what was a moribund Cincinnati run defense last season.
Round 3, Pick 72: CB Treydan Stukes, Arizona
Pass defense was a major issue last season for the Bengals, and the team didn't really address it in free agency unless you count signing backup corner Ja'Sir Taylor. So drafting a corner makes sense, but trading for Lawrence takes the Bengals out of position to make an early upgrade at the position, as at least one of Mansoor Delane or Jermod McCoy would have likely been there at No. 10.
While the Bengals could go corner in the second round, I'd expect the second tier of names like Avieon Terrell and Colton Hood will be gone, so it might be better to keep waiting. Arizona's Treydan Stukes is an intriguing third-round option, as he can fill the nickel role for the Bengals and will provide help in the run game as well.
Round 4, Pick 110: S Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina
One big trade-off in the Lawrence deal? The Bengals' ability to improve at safety through the draft, as the team likely would have been in play for either Caleb Downs or Dillon Thieneman with the No. 10 pick. Now, there's not nearly as easy of a path toward finding a starter for the back-end of the defense in what is a thin crop.
South Carolina's Jalon Kilgore is really intriguing here, though. Like Stukes, he's a versatile defensive back capable of playing at multiple spots — and for a defense with as many holes as this one, I love the idea of adding versatile guys at this point in the draft. More than likely, the Bengals won't find a long-term CB1 and a top safety in the middle rounds of the draft, but these two picks offer the team a chance to build depth and find future starters who can support whomever the team eventually brings in over them.
Round 6, Pick 189: G Jeremiah Wright, Auburn
Pretty big drop-off here, as the Bengals will go 79 spots between picks. Still, they should be able to find some potentially productive players on Day 3.
Guard is a position of concern for Cincinnati. Dalton Risner is fine at one starting spot, but adding someone who can push Dylan Fairchild would be useful, even if that player doesn't immediately claim the starting job. Auburn's Jeremiah Wright is a stout guard with a lot of power. While he's not going to wow anyone with his athleticism, he should have the physicality to carve out a role in the NFL.
Round 6, Pick 199: TE Joe Royer, Cincinnati
Tight end isn't necessarily a huge position of need at the moment, but Drew Sample is in the last year of his contract and Mike Gesicki is 31 years old, so adding a younger player to the room isn't the worst idea.
Enter Joe Royer, who Bengals fans should be familiar with since he played college football at UC. While Royer definitely needs work still as far as his blocking goes, he has the athleticism and hands to be an upside receiving threat.
While his college numbers might not look that impressive — in three seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Cincinnati, he had four total receptions — he's got the makings of a backup tight end who can be used in various alignments on offense.
Round 7, Pick 221: RB Adam Randall, Clemson
Chase Brown got off to a slow start last season, averaging 44.9 rushing yards per game over the first eight games that led to doubt about his ability to continue to be a lead back moving forward. But as the season went along, Brown played better and better, and over his final eight games, he averaged 78.9 rushing yards per game.
So, we can probably go ahead and say Brown will be the bellcow in Cincinnati for at least the next year or two, which means that the team doesn't need to find someone to challenge him for snaps. Instead, the Bengals might look for one who can provide depth and has developmental upside.
Clemson's Adam Randall fits that bill. A former wide receiver, Randall has the big frame to be a north-south runner, though he probably needs some time to get up to speed in that role at the NFL level. He'll also be able to be used in receiving situations, though his pass protection skills are lacking.
Round 7, Pick 226: QB Sawyer Robertson, Baylor
The Bengals don't need a quarterback in 2026, but I think it's worth thinking about taking a shot on a developmental guy at the end of the draft, because current No. 2 quarterback Joe Flacco doesn't have much time left in the league.
I don't necessarily buy into the idea that Burrow won't be around much longer, though I know there have been rumors of the sort, so I don't think the Bengals need to be looking for a young guy with starter upside — or a young guy who thinks he has starter upside. (Sorry, Diego Pavia.)
Baylor's Sawyer Robertson would be a good fit here. He has plenty of collegiate experience and throws the ball well from the pocket, which fits in with the current Bengals QB room. He definitely needs to work on ball placement, but he can do that on the bench behind one of the best in the sport. This could be Cincy's next 2023 Jake Browning — a guy who can step in if Burrow goes down in 2027 or 2028 for a few games and can keep things steady.
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