Cincinnati is at a crossroads. Again. It feels like every time we think the Bengals have finally turned the corner, the floor falls out. Injuries, defensive collapses, or just plain old bad luck—take your pick. Now, sitting with the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after a brutal 6-11 season, the front office can’t afford to miss. Joe Burrow isn’t getting any younger, and the "championship window" is starting to feel more like a drafty hallway.
Burrow himself said it best: they need to "think outside the box." No more safe, character-only picks that don't produce. This bengals 7 round mock draft focuses on what actually matters—keeping Burrow upright and fixing a pass rush that ranked 31st in the league last year. We aren't just looking for "nice guys." We’re looking for dudes who can play.
Round 1, Pick 10: Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (FL)
Trey Hendrickson is a legend, but he can't do it alone forever. He needs a running mate. While the Bengals spent a high pick on Shemar Stewart recently, his injury-riddled rookie year proved you can never have enough juice off the edge.
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Rueben Bain Jr. is a absolute tank. He’s got that "tweener" label some scouts hate, but honestly, who cares? He produces. He’s 6'3" and weighs about 275 pounds, playing with a violence that this defense desperately lacked in 2025. He isn't just a speed rusher; he’s a power merchant who can kick inside on third downs. If the Bengals want to stop the "dead cat bounce" and actually compete in the AFC North, they need someone who makes Lamar Jackson or CJ Stroud feel uncomfortable. Bain is that guy.
Round 2, Pick 41: Gabe Jacas, EDGE/LB, Illinois
Wait, two pass rushers? Yes. Look at the stats. Cincinnati couldn't get home last year even when they sent the house. Gabe Jacas is a high-upside athlete who has been a consistent disruptor in the Big Ten.
Drafting Jacas here allows the Bengals to get creative. Lou Anarumo loves his hybrid defenders, and Jacas fits the mold of a guy who can stand up or put his hand in the dirt. You’ve seen what happens when Hendrickson gets chipped all game. Without a secondary threat, the defense just wilts. This pick is about depth and versatility.
Round 3: Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia
Cam Taylor-Britt is heading toward free agency, and the Bengals' secondary was a sieve for most of the season. Honestly, they need a "shutdown" corner, or at least someone who doesn't get burned on every double move.
Everette has the Georgia pedigree. He’s played against the best receivers in the SEC and held his own. He’s 6'1", fast, and physical. He might not be a Day 1 superstar, but he’s a massive upgrade over the current depth chart. If the Bengals want to play more man coverage and let their pass rush work, they need corners who can survive on an island.
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Round 4: Jeremiah Cobb, RB, Auburn
The run game was... well, it was there. But it wasn't scary. With Joe Mixon long gone and the current rotation feeling a bit stagnant, Jeremiah Cobb brings a different gear. He’s an explosive playmaker who can catch the ball out of the backfield.
Imagine Burrow having a legitimate home-run threat on a simple check-down. That’s how you lighten the load on the offensive line. Cobb is the type of player who turns a four-yard gain into a forty-yard touchdown. It’s the kind of "outside the box" thinking Burrow was asking for.
Round 6: Hank Beatty, WR, Illinois
The Bengals moved a fifth-round pick for Joe Flacco (wild times, right?), so we’re jumping to the sixth. This is where you find the specialists. Hank Beatty is a "Sinnati" special—a reliable, tough slot receiver who knows how to find the soft spot in a zone.
With the future of certain high-priced wideouts always in question due to the cap, getting a cheap, productive slot guy is essential. Beatty isn't going to win many footraces, but he catches everything thrown his way. He’s basically a security blanket for Burrow.
Round 6: Keanu Tanuvasa, DT, BYU
You can't have a bengals 7 round mock draft without addressing the interior of the defensive line. DJ Reader’s absence is still felt every single Sunday. Tanuvasa is a massive human being who eats double teams for breakfast. He’s not going to give you ten sacks, but he’ll let the linebackers actually do their jobs without a 320-pound guard climbing to the second level.
Round 7: Anez Cooper, OG, Miami (FL)
The offensive line is a perennial headache in Cincinnati. Anez Cooper is a mountain of a man—6'5" and 350 pounds. He’s a project, sure, but at this stage of the draft, you take the guy with the elite physical traits and hope your coaching staff can mold him. If he can just become a reliable backup, this pick is a win.
Round 7: P.J. Williams, OT, SMU
One more lottery ticket for the trenches. Williams has the length and footwork you look for in a developmental tackle. He’s the "extra seventh" the Bengals got in the Logan Wilson trade. Using it on a high-upside tackle is just smart business.
What The Bengals Must Do Next
Drafting these players is only half the battle. To make this bengals 7 round mock draft actually work, the front office has to change its philosophy on veteran leadership and free agency.
- Prioritize the Pass Rush: Don't wait for the draft to fix the D-line. Target a veteran interior defender in the first wave of free agency to take the pressure off a rookie like Bain.
- Extend the Core: If you're going to draft a replacement for Cam Taylor-Britt, make sure you aren't also losing your offensive identity. Lock in the remaining core pieces before the market resets again.
- Protect the Investment: Every move made this offseason should be viewed through one lens: Does this make Joe Burrow’s life easier? If the answer is no, don't do it.
The Bengals have the picks and the cap space to fix this. They just need the guts to actually pull the trigger on a transformative class instead of playing it safe like they have for the last thirty years. It’s time to stop talking about the window and start jumping through it.
Identify the top three unrestricted free agents in the defensive tackle market and compare their pressure rates against the current roster's output. Focus on players with a win rate of over 12% to ensure an immediate impact alongside a first-round edge rusher.