A Tackle
The wild card is that a tackle is BPA when the Bengals’ time is called. Either Spencer Fano or Francis Mauigoa would be a nice addition. While the Bengals like to go into drafts with at least one glaring need, they also like to draft a year ahead to potentially fill a hole in the player’s second season (SEE: Jessie Bates III, Dax Hill, Shemar Stewart; Bates was just too good as a rookie, so the plan moved up a year).
Orlando Brown Jr., while still solid, is entering his age-30 season on the final year of his contract. If the board falls a certain way, the Bengals could look to add the heir-apparent for 2027 and beyond.
Fano and Mauigoa were both right tackles in college, so if they were picked, they’d have to move to the left side, of course.
Both tackles have future Pro Bowler written all over them, and either could be a long-term answer.
Other names that could be in play are Jeremiyah Love and Arvell Reese. The Bengals likely aren’t taking a wide receiver this early, so that rules out the rest of the consensus top players. Love is a running back, so it would be a risk. Chase Brown is a great RB1, but after that, there isn’t much. Samaje Perine is solid, but if you can upgrade there, it would be welcome. Love and Brown could be a one-two punch similar to the Lions’. However, that seems incredibly unlikely.
Reese would be a fun pick as well, assuming he declares. As a linebacker for Ohio State, he was the talk of the town for the first half of the year. Then, he quieted down. He finished his final six games without a sack. The Bengals would likely move him to full-time EDGE (as any NFL team should), so he could be the answer there. It’s just unlikely that he’s there at 10.
All in all, the Bengals have plenty of choices. Who knows, they could even trade back to stockpile resources.
