B
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals won the night they stopped Hunter from sliding. Grade: B.
by JBHANCOCK94 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 3 steals
· 0 reaches
You could see the war room lean forward. Lee Hunter at the Round 3 slot is the sort of fall that does not happen, except it just did. The bottom line is a respectable B.
That offensive lineman hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. Cornerback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
Stockpiling next year's capital is patient, if unglamorous, asset work.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 18 they get a go-to option on the outside at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
A straight-up fair deal on Zion Young at the 41st overall pick, value and slot in agreement. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Lee Hunter in the 72nd pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Treydan Stukes at slot 110 is the proof. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Kaleb Proctor in No. 163 is fair value, right on his grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Dae'Quan Wright slid further than he should have, and pick No. 189 is lovely value for the tight end. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
VJ Payne in the Round 6 slot is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Le'Veon Moss at Round 6, Pick 18 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Lander Barton at pick 221 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They paid sticker price for Xavier Nwankpa in the 226th pick, and that is fine. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.