B-
Cincinnati Bengals
A sensible, unshowy class lands the Bengals a B-.
by ScottyB1963 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 8 picks
· 2 steals
· 1 reaches
The Bengals' one glaring miss is linebacker, a need they left exactly as they found it. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B-.
If Bell pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about. Whatever else happened, they won the night they took Roberts. They left with cornerback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
Building through the lines is a philosophy, and they stuck to it.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the linebacker spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 10th overall pick they get a blindside protector. A real need, handled.
No drama and no debate, Lee Hunter went about where he belonged in Round 2, Pick 9. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They went early on Skyler Bell in the Round 3 slot, and the value did not follow. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Genesis Smith is a better player than pick 110 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A market-rate cornerback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Ephesians Prysock. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Kobe Baynes at slot 199 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A clean, defensible pick in the 221st pick with a little surplus value in Riley Nowakowski. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Nice patience on Chase Roberts, who had no business lasting to pick No. 226. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.