B-
Cincinnati Bengals
No fireworks, just a tidy B- for the Bengals.
by grady.s ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 3 steals
· 1 reaches
Everything else got attention, and linebacker got none. That is a strange way for the Bengals to leave a draft.
The Black pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. Hunter has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced. Cornerback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
The trenches got the money picks, top to bottom.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 10 they get a long-term starter on the line. A clean fit for the roster.
A reach on Lee Hunter in the 41st overall pick; the board had better options right there. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Malachi Fields at the Round 3 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A slide stopped in pick 110, with Genesis Smith worth more than the price. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A quiet steal in the 189th pick: Matt Gulbin for less than the market said. The roster fit checks out.
They took Toriano Pride Jr. at par in slot 199, which is nothing to complain about. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jaren Kanak in Round 7, Pick 5 is fair value, right on his grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nice patience on Kaelon Black, who had no business lasting to No. 226. A need, and now a little less of one.