B
Cincinnati Bengals
A solid, sensible weekend for the Bengals: B.
by Kenny proctor ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
The Bengals went off the board in a big way for Austin Barber, 40 picks early. Conviction is one thing; this is another. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B.
However the rest shakes out, Caldwell at that price is a win they earned. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped linebacker, which is a strange place to end up. The roster is better shaped than it was, with cornerback chief among the fixes.
They came away with juice, if not much beef up front.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
No edge and no loss on Makai Lemon in slot 10; it is a wash and a sensible one. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A tidy bit of business in Round 2, Pick 9, where Peter Woods graded well above the range. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Austin Barber at the Round 3 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A straight-up fair deal on Tacario Davis at pick No. 110, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jalen Stroman in No. 189, miles early. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Matt Gulbin in the 199th pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Jeff Caldwell in the 221st pick, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
No drama and no debate, Riley Nowakowski went about where he belonged in the Round 7 slot. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.