B+
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals robbed the room for Cameron. Final grade: B+.
by Nightmare22 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
When a board-topper like Josh Cameron slides to pick No. 221, you do not overthink it, and the Bengals did not.
Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own. They left with cornerback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
They chose more darts over a bigger single swing.
Nothing here to lose sleep over, and plenty to feel decent about.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 18th pick they get a sideline-to-sideline linebacker. A clean fit for the roster.
Dillon Thieneman at the Round 2 slot nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A clean, defensible pick in slot 72 with a little surplus value in Dontay Corleone. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Somehow Connor Lew was still sitting there in Round 3, Pick 28, and they pounced on premier offensive lineman value. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They let Treydan Stukes come to them and pounced at pick 110. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
No drama and no debate, Mike Washington Jr. went about where he belonged in No. 112. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They paid sticker price for Beau Stephens in pick No. 152, and that is fine. The roster fit checks out.
Cole Payton in the 189th overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It fills a real need, too.
Value with a capital V on Dae'Quan Wright in Round 6, Pick 18, a genuine coup. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
They robbed the room for Josh Cameron here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Thaddeus Dixon in pick No. 226 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.