BENGALS MOCK DRAFT GRADE B

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bengals2026 B

URL bengals2026-0052

Letter grade with a four-component score, written analysis, and a pick-by-pick breakdown for every selection in this saved mock.

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B

Cincinnati Bengals

No fireworks, just a tidy B for the Bengals.

by sad · 2026 NFL Draft · 13 picks · 6 steals · 2 reaches
Value B
Need B
Trades B
Future B-

Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Bengals spent Round 7, Pick 13 on Dominic Zvada, a name most had 80 spots down the list.

Landing Golday that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through linebacker.

In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the linebacker spot they never got to.

Pick-by-Pick

R1.10 · Pick 10 · Jeremiyah Love · RB · rank 2
In pick 10 they get a bell-cow for the offense, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
R2.13 · Pick 45 · Chris Johnson · CB · rank 33
Chris Johnson at the Round 2 slot is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
R3.13 · Pick 77 · Jake Slaughter · C · rank 58
They robbed the room for Jake Slaughter here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It fills a real need, too.
R4.10 · Pick 110 · Jake Golday · OLB · rank 64
Jake Golday in pick No. 110 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A minor need, but a need all the same.
R4.15 · Pick 115 · Genesis Smith · S · rank 107
Genesis Smith is a better player than slot 115 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It adds depth where they could use a little.
R4.16 · Pick 116 · Ted Hurst · WR · rank 89
Ted Hurst in the 116th pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R4.30 · Pick 130 · J.C. Davis · OT · rank 142
J.C. Davis in slot 130 is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R6.8 · Pick 189 · Anez Cooper · OG · rank 182
Nothing to complain about; Anez Cooper went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R6.18 · Pick 199 · Kobe Baynes · OG · rank 199
Kobe Baynes in pick 199 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R6.30 · Pick 211 · Aaron Graves · DT · rank 210
No edge and no loss on Aaron Graves in the Round 6 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
R7.5 · Pick 221 · Jadon Canady · CB · rank 222
No drama and no debate, Jadon Canady went about where he belonged in the 221st pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R7.10 · Pick 226 · Riley Nowakowski · TE · rank 225
They took Riley Nowakowski at par in pick No. 226, which is nothing to complain about. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R7.13 · Pick 229 · Dominic Zvada · PK · rank 309
Dominic Zvada in Round 7, Pick 13 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
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