B
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals did the meat-and-potatoes work well: B.
by Kenny proctor ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 5 steals
· 1 reaches
Every so often the board makes a mistake, and the Bengals were there to profit. Dallen Bentley, the No. 206 name on the board, should have been long gone before Round 7, Pick 10.
Stroman has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. They will regret leaving linebacker for another day if the season turns on it.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 10th pick they get a long-term starter on the line. A real need, handled.
Peter Woods at the 41st overall pick is money in the bank, a interior defensive lineman taken below his worth. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Germie Bernard at the 72nd pick is the proof. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Chandler Rivers slipping to Round 4, Pick 10 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jalen Stroman at pick 189 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It adds depth where they could use a little.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Cameron Ball. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Circle this one: Eric McAlister at pick No. 221 is a fall that decides a draft. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They will replay Dallen Bentley at slot 226 for years; that is how good the value is. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.