B-
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals won the night they stopped Wheatley from sliding. Grade: B-.
by pj_doucette ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 4 steals
· 1 reaches
The Bengals spent the weekend waiting on one name, and it fell: Zakee Wheatley, the No. 85 name on the board, in the 110th pick. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B-.
For all the activity, linebacker went untouched, which is hard to explain. Reaching for Gusta left real value on the table behind him. Job largely done: cornerback settled and 5 of 8 of the wish list covered.
Good work on the whole, with linebacker the one box left unchecked.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 10th pick they get a building block for the line at fair value. A real need, handled.
A tidy bit of business in pick 41, where Denzel Boston graded well above the range. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They took Domonique Orange at par in slot 72, which is nothing to complain about. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They will replay Zakee Wheatley at Round 4, Pick 10 for years; that is how good the value is. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Domani Jackson is a better player than No. 189 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They paid up for David Gusta at the Round 6 slot when waiting would have done the job. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Jeremiah Wright at pick No. 221 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A need, and now a little less of one.
The board had Riley Nowakowski higher than the 226th overall pick, and the tight end fell to them anyway. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.