The Bengals brought back their entire offense, and between a busy free agency and a massive swing for Dexter Lawrence, they are finally going for it. With the AFC looking more open than it has in years, Cincinnati has every reason to approach this draft with urgency.
In this predictive seven-round mock, I discuss the blockbuster Dexter Lawrence deal before working through the rest of the class based on the types of prospects the Bengals have historically valued: young players, elite traits, major-program experience, high pedigree, and strong production. These are the positions I expect Cincinnati to target, the names that make the most sense in each range, and my prediction for what the Bengals ultimately do at every pick.
Round 1
Dexter Lawrence, DT, New York Giants
Let’s go! Who are these Bengals? And what have they done with the old Bengals!?
Last Saturday night, the Bengals sent shockwaves throughout the league, trading the No. 10 pick in the draft for All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence. I am pumped.
Is the 10th pick a steep price? There is no doubt. But that is what it takes to get a true game-changing player who affects the game in both phases on every play.
Lawrence is probably the strongest player in the NFL. He is 6’4”, 342 pounds with nearly 35-inch arms. Despite the long arms, he repped 225 pounds 36 times at the Combine back in his pre-draft days, which was in the 96th percentile for defensive tackles. Turn on the tape and you see it translate. It doesn’t matter who you are — he will bully you back into the quarterback.
He has done it to All-Pros like Quenton Nelson, Trey Smith, Creed Humphrey, and Tyler Smith, among others. No matter who you are, if you do not double-team Dex, the play is getting blown up.
What separates him from any other nose tackle is his pass-rushing prowess. Simply put, Dexter Lawrence is the best pass-rushing nose tackle of the last 25 years.
Per Warren Sharp, Dexter Lawrence has 108 pressures when aligned at nose tackle since 2022, which is No. 1 in the NFL. Second-best is Vita Vea with 32. That’s right: Dex has 76 more pressures at nose than the second-best player since 2022. He is a unicorn.
He fundamentally changes the way you can play defense, and the way offenses have to game-plan around you. He frees up your young defensive ends to get plenty of one-on-ones. He keeps your young linebackers clean to shoot gaps and make plays. He lets you put an extra defensive back on the field and play lighter boxes without getting gashed in the run game.
Lawrence changes the math for Al Golden’s defense.
There is no defensive player in this draft who will make more of an immediate impact on winning than Dexter Lawrence. The Chiefs’ roster is as bad as we have seen it in the Mahomes era. The Bills and Ravens have question marks, and we just saw an average Patriots roster make the Super Bowl. Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins are all in their prime, and the AFC is more wide open than ever.
The Bengals have finally acknowledged the window and are pushing their chips in by adding Dexter Lawrence along with free agents like Bryan Cook, Jonathan Allen, and Boye Mafe, among others.
Why not us?
Now for the rest of the draft. Here are some of the top targets at the positions I expect them to prioritize in each round, along with my prediction for what the Bengals do at each pick.
Round 2
Top Targets
CB: Avieon Terrell, Chris Johnson, Treydan Stukes, D’Angelo Ponds, Brandon Cisse, Keionte Scott
LB: CJ Allen, Jacob Rodriguez, Anthony Hill Jr., Josiah Trotter, Jake Golday
EDGE: TJ Parker, R Mason Thomas, Cashius Howell, Zion Young, Dani Dennis-Sutton, Gabe Jacas
Pick 41 Prediction: Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
Anthony Hill Jr. checks every box the Bengals look for early in the draft.
He is 21.2 years old. He was a unanimous five-star recruit coming out of high school. He was a three-year starter for a blue-blood program that played in the CFP in 2024. He is a terrific size-speed athlete with great length, speed (4.51 40), and explosiveness (37-inch vertical) in a 6’2”, 238-pound frame. He is a high-IQ player and leader, wearing the green dot for Texas in both 2024 and 2025 as a 19- and 20-year-old.
However, Hill is not just a traits-based project. He also had great production at Texas. In 40 college games, Hill racked up 249 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 17.0 sacks, eight forced fumbles, and three interceptions. And he did all of that before his 21st birthday, playing in the SEC. It is rare to see players with that level of production at such a young age against top competition not become good players at the next level.
Hill’s athleticism is on full display with sideline-to-sideline range as a run defender. He shows a great ability to shoot gaps and make plays in the backfield. Both his acceleration and instincts are elite in the run game.
What makes Hill unique is his ability as a pass rusher and blitzer. Texas used him a decent amount off the edge, mugging the A-gap, or looping as a blitzer in stunts. Hill often won as a speed rusher and is a force when it comes to pressuring quarterbacks. Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden likes versatile linebackers who can move between being a stack linebacker and edge player based on personnel shifts before the snap. Hill has this ability.
However, Hill is not a perfect player. If he was, he would not be in the conversation at No. 41. Despite his long arms, Hill struggles to get off blocks too often. He must improve his hand fighting and physicality as a take-on player. He is good at evading blocks and shooting gaps with his quickness, but you must be able to shed blocks at the NFL level. He has the size and length to improve in this area with proper technique.
In coverage, Hill possesses the speed and change of direction to stay with tight ends and play zone. However, at times he can get fooled by play action or the quarterback’s eyes and get moved out of his zone responsibility. Texas had him mostly in fairly basic zone drops. He may be dealing with more advanced coverage assignments at the NFL level. He can absolutely get there as a coverage player, but it is going to take some time.
While still raw in some areas, Anthony Hill Jr. has the profile you want to bet on as a prospect: a young, freaky athlete with great production and a high football IQ. He has been playing at an extremely high level in the SEC since he was 18 years old. He will be 21 his entire rookie season, and with some coaching and reps, Hill has an incredibly high ceiling in the NFL.
No player in this range checks more of the Bengals’ boxes than Hill, and with uncertainty around Demetrius Knight and Barrett Carter entering Year 2, Anthony Hill Jr. feels like the most likely Round 2 pick for Cincinnati.
Round 3
Top Targets
OT: Markel Bell, Travis Burke, Austin Barber
LB: Josiah Trotter, Jake Goliday
CB: Jalon Kilgore, Davison Igbinosun, Chandler Rivers, Daylen Everette
EDGE: Dani Dennis-Sutton, Romello Height
Pick 72 Prediction: Markel Bell, OT, Miami
If you built an offensive tackle in a lab to play for the Bengals, he would look exactly like Markel Bell.
Standing at 6’9”, 346 pounds, Bell has an 86.2-inch wingspan — the fourth widest in the history of the NFL Combine — and 36.4-inch arms, the sixth longest in Combine history. Unlike some young players his age, Bell knows how to weaponize his length to his advantage.
The former JUCO player transferred to Miami as a junior and slowly started to put it together. As a senior in 2025, Bell was one of the best pass-protecting offensive tackles in college football on the blindside for Miami. In 16 games in 2025, Bell allowed just 14 quarterback hurries, one quarterback hit, and zero sacks. He pitched a shutout in the national title game with zero pressures allowed against an elite Indiana defense. His 83.5 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked 11th in the nation among offensive tackles.
Still just 21.8 years old, the sky is the limit for Bell. When you see a young player with his size and lack of experience, you assume he is a raw project. However, Bell made a massive leap in his second FBS season and is actually a pretty refined pass protector. He still has room to improve, particularly in the run game, but letting him learn behind two guys who play a similar style in Amarius Mims and Orlando Brown Jr. will help him massively.
There are a handful of offensive tackles in this range that fit the Bengals: Bell, Travis Burke (6’9”, 315, nasty), and Austin Barber (6’6”, 315, trained by Paul Alexander). But Bell’s age, length, and pass-protection skills give him the edge here.
While whichever position of cornerback or linebacker is not taken in Round 2 deserves strong consideration here, swing tackle is also vital. The Bengals are one injury to Mims or Brown away from Cody Ford protecting Joe Burrow. Markel Bell should be ready to seamlessly take over the starting left tackle spot from Brown in a year or two.
At the end of the day, this team can only go as far as No. 9 takes them. Protection will always be a priority.
Round 4
Top Targets
LB: Jimmy Rolder, Harold Perkins Jr., Tauren York, Trey Moore
OT: Austin Barber, Demetrius Crownover
CB: Daylen Everette, Malik Muhammad, Chandler Rivers, Will Lee, Jadon Canady
EDGE: Jaishawn Barham, LT Overton
Pick 110 Prediction: Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia
If the Bengals have not taken a cornerback by the fourth round, then put it in ink at No. 110.
Once again, Daylen Everette is a guy who checks every box the Bengals look for. A three-year starter in the SEC for a blue-blood program that routinely plays in CFP games, Everette was a five-star recruit coming out of high school. At 6’1”, 196 pounds with nearly 32-inch arms, he has prototypical size for an NFL cornerback. He showed his athleticism with a 4.38 40 at the NFL Combine.
Everette never became the shutdown All-American corner many expected out of high school, but he was a consistent player who often showed up in the biggest games. His size shows up in the run game, where he is a strong run defender and tackler. He is at his best in zone coverage. He has the tools to be a good man-coverage player, but too often gives up separation to shifty wide receivers and struggles to trigger when the ball is in the air. He has good technique and long speed but lacks some short-area burst, in my opinion.
If he can improve as a man-coverage player, he can become a good starter in the NFL. Although he played mostly outside at Georgia, Everette’s size and run defense make him an intriguing option in the slot at the next level. Just 22.0 years old, Everette may not be a Day 1 starter as a rookie, but with a bit of development, he should find a role early. I could see him being CB4 for the Bengals to start the season and becoming a starter by midseason.
Rounds 6 and 7
Top Targets
IOL: Pat Coogan, Jager Burton, Jeremiah Wright
TE: Dae’Quan Wright, Carsen Ryan, Josh Cuevas
RB: Kaelon Black, Jadyn Ott
WR: Malik Benson, Caleb Douglas, Barion Brown
EDGE/LB: Trey Moore, Mason Reiger, Kendal Daniels
Pick 189 Prediction: Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana
The Bengals did not meet with many running backs in this cycle, but they did bring Kaelon Black in on a 30 visit.
Black was an early-down workhorse for the Hoosiers’ national title squad. He impressed at his Pro Day with a 4.45 40. He has short, choppy steps and runs hard. Indiana rarely used him on third downs, but he showed up as a plus pass protector when he was asked. He is an older prospect at 24.5 years old, but his skill set makes him a good part of a one-two punch over the course of his rookie deal.
Pick 199 Prediction: Dae’Quan Wright, TE, Ole Miss
The Bengals would love to add a Day 3 tight end who is a real factor as both a blocker and receiver. Currently, they have Drew Sample, who is purely a blocker, and Mike Gesicki and Tanner Hudson, who are purely big wide receivers. Erick All will attempt to return this year, but with multiple knee surgeries, it is hard to count on him being the same player we saw his rookie year.
Dae’Quan Wright is my late-Day 3 tight end of choice in this class. The 22.5-year-old Wright has a good production profile, including 635 receiving yards in 2025. That is more than Kenyon Sadiq. He has average size at 6’4”, 245 pounds but is a good athlete. Ole Miss split his time between the slot and in-line.
Unlike many tight ends in this class, Wright can legitimately hang as an in-line blocker in the run game. He shows good technique and tenacity to dig out defenders and open holes. In the pass game, he excels against zone coverage, using his speed and savvy to find open grass. He is not the type of tight end to win with dazzling route running against man coverage. However, there is reason to believe Wright can develop into a true every-down TE1 before the end of his rookie deal. He is worth taking a flyer on late on Day 3 of a deep tight end class.
Pick 221 Prediction: Kendal Daniels, LB, Oklahoma
The 6’5”, 242-pound Daniels is like a poor man’s Sonny Styles.
A high four-star recruit, he started his career as a safety at Oklahoma State before converting to linebacker. As a fifth-year senior, he transferred to Oklahoma and played the “Cheetah” position in Brent Venables’ defense, where he was a hybrid big nickel/linebacker. He is a good athlete with a ton of career snaps and good production. He will be a special teams ringer early in his career, and the size and versatility give him a chance to become a starting linebacker in the NFL down the line.
Arguably the most underrated linebacker in the entire class.
Pick 226 Prediction: Pat Coogan, C, Indiana
Last but certainly not least, we have national champion center Pat Coogan.
Coogan, like my co-blogger Lou DePasquale, is a proud graduate of Chicago’s Marist High School. I texted Lou before Coogan’s senior season at Indiana that he reminded me a ton of Bengals starting center Ted Karras. Both come from football families in the Midwest, were multi-year starters at big programs, are tough as nails, and were true leaders at the college level. Both players were overlooked in the draft cycle due to average athleticism.
Karras was drafted by the Patriots late on Day 3. He grinded it out for three years as a backup before finally winning a starting spot in Year 4 in New England. He bounced around for two years after that before winding up in Cincinnati, where he has been a team captain every year and has received multiple Walter Payton Man of the Year nominations.
Coogan shares a lot of these leadership qualities. Coogan, who grew up a lifelong Notre Dame fan, started at left guard for the Irish in 2023. In 2024, he was set to be a backup until an injury allowed him to fill in at center. Both when he was a backup and starter on that team, he was a leader, often leading the team out of the tunnel after fiery pregame speeches. He started throughout Notre Dame’s run to the national championship game.
He entered the portal for his final season and was drawn to Curt Cignetti’s culture at Indiana. Coogan immediately stepped into a leadership role as the starting center for one of the best offensive lines in the nation, blocking for the Heisman Trophy winner. While not the most spectacular or agile athlete, Coogan is smart and sturdy in pass protection. His 84.0 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked ninth among Power 4 centers in 2025. The only times he struggled were against the truly elite power defensive tackles — Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald gave him some problems in the Big Ten title game.
Coogan is smart, a grinder, and a leader. He can be a strong backup interior offensive lineman with three-position flexibility. And do not be surprised if, similar to Karras, he carves out a starting role before the end of his rookie deal.
Final Bengals Mock Draft Class
- Round 1: Dexter Lawrence, DT
- Round 2, Pick 41: Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
- Round 3, Pick 72: Markel Bell, OT, Miami
- Round 4, Pick 110: Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia
- Round 6, Pick 189: Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana
- Round 6, Pick 199: Dae’Quan Wright, TE, Ole Miss
- Round 7, Pick 221: Kendal Daniels, LB, Oklahoma
- Round 7, Pick 226: Pat Coogan, C, Indiana
Blog in the Back with Kelley and Lou 
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