sbara'S MOCK DRAFT

bengals first

  • sbara DRAFTING FOR THE
    Bengals
Draft Selections
Walter Nolen Head Shot
PICK: 13 RND: 1 (CIN)
Walter Nolen
DT Ole Miss
Bradyn Swinson Head Shot
PICK: 44 RND: 2 (CIN)
Bradyn Swinson
DE-EDGE LSU
Mansoor Delane Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (CIN)
Mansoor Delane
CB Virginia Tech
Emery Jones Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 114 RND: 4 (CIN)
Emery Jones Jr.
OT LSU
Kaimon Rucker Head Shot
PICK: 150 RND: 5 (CIN)
Kaimon Rucker
DE-EDGE North Carolina
Mario Williams Head Shot
PICK: 190 RND: 6 (CIN)
Mario Williams
WR Tulane
Draft Picks Received
Mansoor Delane Head Shot
PICK: 97 RND: 3 (MIN)
Mansoor Delane
CB Virginia Tech
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (MIN)
NEXT YEAR (2026)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Tez Johnson Head Shot
PICK: 78 RND: 3 (BUF)
Tez Johnson
WR Oregon
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 3 (TB)
NEXT YEAR (2026)
 
Players Gained
Head Shot
Harrison Phillips
DT
Draft Grade — Bengals
Overall B
ValueC- NeedB+ TradesA+ FutureB-
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Bengals a B.

The Bengals clearly saw something nobody else did in Mario Williams, taking him 118 picks ahead of his grade. The board is not convinced.

Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped tight end, which is a strange place to end up. Adding Harrison Phillips by trade rounds out the weekend beyond the rookies.

The roster is better shaped than it was, with cornerback chief among the fixes.

A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.

Pick Analysis
Pick13 Rnd1 Walter Nolen
In the Round 1 slot they get a load in the middle. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Pick44 Rnd2 Bradyn Swinson
They reached into another round for Bradyn Swinson, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Pick97 Rnd3 Mansoor Delane
They left a pile of value on the table to take Mansoor Delane this early at the 97th pick. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Pick114 Rnd4 Emery Jones Jr.
Emery Jones Jr. at pick No. 114 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It fills a real need, too.
Pick150 Rnd5 Kaimon Rucker
A real head-scratcher, Kaimon Rucker in slot 150 is miles ahead of his ranking. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Pick190 Rnd6 Mario Williams
Mario Williams at No. 190 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.