Make no mistake, Bain is an exciting prospect. Both Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai are on the way to free agency. Myles Murphy has shown a few flashes, but the team has gotten nothing from last year’s first-rounder, Shemar Stewart. Bain makes sense.

CINCINNATI — The crew at Pro Football Focus is starting to fire up 2026 NFL mock drafts, and Cincinnati took an ACC mauler in the latest rendition from Trevor Sikkema. The Bengals have a roughly 52.4% chance of landing a top 10 pick at the end of the season, and Sikkema has them taking Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods with the 10th selection.

The Cincinnati Bengals are currently sitting at 4-9 on the season. With the playoffs likely out of reach, let’s take a look at some of the top positions of need and players at each one for the 2026 NFL Draft. As always, free agency can change what this list ultimately looks like.

Who will each NFL team target in the 2026 draft? Here's how four experts project the first round to go, and where Fernando Mendoza could land.

The Bengals are in position to have their highest draft selection since they had the No. 5 overall pick in 2021 when they took Ja'Marr Chase.

The Bengals, who still have a shot at winning the AFC North and making the playoffs, have their own first-round pick in 2026. Here is where they are set to pick in the 2026 NFL Draft as it stands. This post will be updated throughout the season. Draft order is courtesy of Tankathon.

The Cincinnati Bengals could be looking at several prospects playing in this one. For BYU, they have several defensive prospects of note. Two linebackers of interest for day three include Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker.

It was 2011, and Carson Palmer had had enough. The USC star was the first overall pick in the 2003 draft, and through his time with the Cincinnati Bengals, he had done his level best to transcend an organization that had long been known as one of the league's most parsimonious,