The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but they still have their second and third-round picks, and a handful of wants and needs to address. CBS Sports’ JP Acosta pooled together all the teams without a first-round pick and listed several players that those teams could be interested in.
It should come as no surprise that the primary position picked for the Bengals was linebacker, the only defensive position the team completely ignored during free agency.
“The Bengals
spent multiple picks in 2025 on the linebacker spot, adding Demetrius Knight on Day 2 and Barrett Carter on Day 3,” wrote Acosta. “The problem is that in 2025, Carter and Knight were one of the worst LB pairings in the NFL, either missing tackles (Carter and Knight missed 18 and 16 tackles last season, respectively) or being picked on in coverage (Knight gave up a 106.7 passer rating in coverage).”
Possible Day 2 targets at linebacker mentioned were Georgia’s CJ Allen, Cincinnati’s Jake Golday, Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, and Arizona State’s Keyshaun Elliott.
The secondary need for the Bengals was safety, which was somewhat surprising considering the free agents they signed this offseason.
“Honestly, the reasons for needing a safety in Cincy are almost a carbon copy of Linebacker,” Acosta wrote. “The Bengals added Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger to this group in the offseason, but S Jordan Battle was awful last season. In addition, potentially finding a safety with nickel versatility could be beneficial, especially if Dax Hill is staying on the outside. The good thing is that this is an incredible deep safety class, even beyond Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, so finding a guy who can play deep or play in the slot could help DC Al Golden’s defense turn itself around.”
The possible Day 2 safety targets for the Bengals were Arizona’s Treydan Stukes, LSU’s AJ Haulcy, Miami’s Keionte Scott, and Penn State’s Zakee Wheatley.
The Bengals don’t have a first-round pick, but they have the No. 41 and No. 71 overall picks. Their trade for Dexter Lawrence completely reshapes the defense. His ability to clock up the middle, soaking up blockers while still being able to pressure the quarterback, will completely change how everyone behind him sees the game.
Now, we just have to wait and see what they do with their remaining picks from the first three rounds to hopefully put this team back in the playoffs.
Who are you hoping the Bengals are going to grab with the No. 41 and No. 72 picks?
