The Cincinnati Bengals wrapped up an exciting weekend in which they drafted a lot of talent at great value. The team traded away its No. 10 overall pick to land star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, and then shored up both sides of the football.
While the grades from the pundits vary, Cincinnati has largely earned high marks from the national outlets. Below are grades from many national outlets and a snippet of the respective analyst’s thoughts on the Bengals’ class. Links to the full story are provided.
What the national outlets are saying about Cincinnati’s class
“The Cincinnati Bengals had an A+ draft in my opinion this year.”
“This seems like a low-impact draft class considering what the Bengals needed to get out of this year’s crop of players.”
“The Bengals have to find a way to keep Joe Burrow happy and capitalize on the potent offense he leads. That means fielding a better defense; it’s hard to win football games when the team is giving up a league-high 6.2 yards per play. Did the Bengals do enough? I’m not so sure.”
“Even though they traded out of the first round, the Bengals still secured an exciting replacement for Trey Hendrickson.”
“The Bengals nabbed one of the most underrated cornerbacks of this class in Washington’s long and speedy Tacario Davis at No. 72. Had he not struggled with injury in 2026, he might have been selected a round earlier.”
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NBC Sports, Connor Rogers, C+:
“The Bengals have a lot of players in their edge group, but I don’t think any of them have the pure pass rush ability that Cashius Howell does. He’s a length outlier, but he constantly challenges tackles on an island to get to the quarterback.”
“Cincinnati did well on Day 2, breaking team precedent by taking Howell, a smaller edge with speed, then adding Davis’ height and quick feet to a secondary facing the potential loss of multiple veterans in free agency next year.”
Sports Illustrated, Matt Verderame, B:
“Cincinnati desperately needed an infusion of defensive talent, and it appears to have gotten it.”
“Highest-graded pick (2025): T Brian Parker II, Duke Blue Devils (85.5).”
Bengals Reacts, B+:
53% of Bengals Reacts voters said they’d give this draft class a B, while 29% gave it an A.
After solidifying their defensive line with Lawrence and picks, Cincinnati also got a couple of pass-catching weapons and offensive line help. Where would you place the Bengals’ performance over the weekend?
