B-
Cincinnati Bengals
Nothing loud, just a tidy B- for the Bengals.
by Emeritus ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 4 reaches
There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Bengals started one anyway for Trey Zuhn III, 25 picks ahead of schedule.
For all the activity, tight end went untouched, which is hard to explain. The Trotter value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. On the needs board they went 6 of 8, with cornerback the one that mattered most.
The back end got a real overhaul.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 10 they get an island corner, reach and all. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
A straight-up fair deal on Caleb Banks at pick No. 41, value and slot in agreement. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Josiah Trotter at Round 3, Pick 8 is the proof. It fills a real need, too.
Bud Clark slid further than he should have, and the Round 4 slot is lovely value for the safety. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Pat Coogan at pick 189 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They liked Kaelon Black enough to skip the value, taking him in the 199th pick. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A real head-scratcher, Trey Zuhn III in No. 221 is miles ahead of his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Dane Key at pick 226 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.