B
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals let Golday fall and pounced. Final grade: B.
by eqfr ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 10 picks
· 7 steals
· 0 reaches
The Bengals did not reach, did not trade up, did not blink. They just waited, and Jake Golday fell into the Round 4 slot.
They will regret leaving tight end for another day if the season turns on it. They went 6 of 8 on their needs, which is most of what a draft is for.
A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 10 they get a workhorse for the backfield, outstanding value to boot. A clean fit for the roster.
They paid sticker price for Jacob Rodriguez in the 46th pick, and that is fine. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board fumbled Lee Hunter all the way to pick 72, and they scooped it up. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Jake Golday in No. 110 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Malik Muhammad in the 116th overall pick. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Trey Zuhn III in pick No. 130 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A need, and now a little less of one.
They let Ar'maj Reed-Adams come to them and pounced at the Round 6 slot. The roster fit checks out.
Aamil Wagner in slot 199 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Eric McAlister at the 221st overall pick is the proof. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Landon Robinson in slot 226 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.