B-
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals cashed the board's mistake on Boerkircher: B-.
by GOATman123 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 5 steals
· 2 reaches
Somebody in Round 6, Pick 18 was going to get robbed, and it turned out to be the rest of the league. The Bengals sat still while Nate Boerkircher, the No. 161 name on the board, slid all the way to them, then sprinted to the podium.
Reaching for Allen left real value on the table behind him. The interior defensive lineman spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. It is not that Overton is a bad player; it is that the Bengals had louder needs to answer first.
Cornerback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
Bottom line, more hits than misses and a roster nudged the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 10 they get a rangy last line of defense at a price that makes it sweeter.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 41 with a little surplus value in Akheem Mesidor. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, LT Overton adds an edge rusher and leaves interior defensive lineman, linebacker and other spots untouched.
A wild overpay on Kaytron Allen in the 110th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Circle this one: Eric Rivers at the 189th pick is a fall that decides a draft. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A top-tier tight end at a bargain, Nate Boerkircher in the Round 6 slot, plain and simple. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A real head-scratcher, Fa'alili Fa'amoe in No. 221 is miles ahead of his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
The board had Toriano Pride Jr. higher than pick 226, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.