B
Cincinnati Bengals
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Bengals a B.
by Komicozzy ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 2 steals
· 3 reaches
The Bengals put a flag in the ground for Jaishawn Barham, 44 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit.
That Igbinosun pick is the receipt they will wave around later. They punted on linebacker, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. The Bengals indulged a want in Barham while a need in linebacker and quarterback stayed open.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
A straight-up fair deal on Kayden McDonald at pick No. 14, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Zion Young in the 41st pick is fair value, right on his grade. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A want over a need in the 72nd overall pick: Jaishawn Barham adds an edge rusher while linebacker and quarterback keeps waiting.
Deion Burks in slot 80 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They barely believed it either: Davison Igbinosun still on the board at Round 4, Pick 10. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Good price on Keagen Trost in No. 189, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Dalton Johnson. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Patrick Payton at pick No. 211 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Riley Nowakowski at pick 221 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Eric McAlister in the 226th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Fair-plus on Desmond Reid, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. The roster fit checks out.