{"id":265206,"date":"2026-02-11T10:06:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T15:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=265206"},"modified":"2026-02-12T15:23:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T20:23:19","slug":"post-super-bowl-bengals-mock-drafts-provide-a-wide-variety-of-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/02\/11\/post-super-bowl-bengals-mock-drafts-provide-a-wide-variety-of-options\/","title":{"rendered":"Post-Super Bowl Bengals Mock Drafts Provide a Wide Variety of Options"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the 10th pick, the Cincinnati Bengals’ options seem to be both wide open and incredibly pressed at the same time. With Dante Moore<\/a> and Arch Manning<\/a> returning to school, Bengals mock drafts have a variety of choices. While the general consensus is that the Bengals will add to the defense, there is a very real possibility that all of the elite defenders may be gone by the time the Bengals pick, potentially causing them to panic and reach…again.<\/p>\n

With Super Bowl LX in the rearview, everyone has their mock drafts ready to roll. Let’s take a look at 10 within the industry and see who each mock has landing in Cincinnati.<\/p>\n

Post-Super Bowl Bengals Mock Drafts Provide a Wide Variety of Options<\/h2>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Caleb Downs, SAF, Ohio State<\/h3>\n

Of these 10, it’s apparent that Caleb Downs<\/a> is the favorite. He may be rated as the top prospect in the draft regardless of position. However, because that position is safety, teams may pass on him, causing a slide. If he’s there at 10, the Bengals would have a hard time passing up what looks to be the easiest slam dunk of the first round.<\/p>\n

Downs’ Full Scouting Report<\/a><\/p>\n

Last Word on Sports’ Chris Farbolin<\/h4>\n

“The Bengals need help basically everywhere on defense, so they take arguably the best player in this class. Caleb Downs is a generational safety prospect who excels in run support, along with man and zone coverage. His ball skills and tackling are other strengths, and he\u2019s a do-it-all player. Downs will help Cincinnati\u2019s defense in various ways.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Full Mock Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

NBC Sports’ Connor Rogers<\/h4>\n

“This is my dream draft scenario for the Bengals, as Downs can help a struggling defense improve in multiple areas. He has a sixth sense with everything developing in front of him, but can also match up down the field against opposing tight ends. He\u2019s a top-five player in this draft and not one to overthink.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Full Mock Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

CBS’s Mike Renner<\/h4>\n

“Downs’ versatility and reliability would be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Bengals’ porous secondary. He could fill the slot role that’s growing in value across the NFL or function as a hybrid defender in Al Golden’s defense. A safety hasn’t gone top 10 in nearly a decade, but Downs is well worth that billing.”<\/p>\n

Full Mock Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

Also, Denny from NFL Mock Draft Database<\/a><\/p>\n

The experts all agree that the Bengals need help on defense. Ideally, they attack free agency so BPA is the choice, and they don’t have to pigeonhole themselves into a position on draft day. Either way, despite being a safety, Downs would be an immediate improvement.<\/p>\n

Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU<\/h3>\n

The second-most mocked player to the Bengals is Mansoor Delane<\/a>, last year’s runner-up for the Jim Thorpe Award (which Downs won). It would be an interesting choice as the Bengals have two solid corners, but will one or both sign a contract extension this offseason? If the Bengals do what they love to do and offer both the same contract and only bring back one, Delane could be an investment for the future. He’s also a plug-and-play impact defender, so it would be interesting to see how the Bengals would employ him in year one.<\/p>\n

Sports Illustrated’s Mark Morales-Smith<\/h4>\n

“The Bengals desperately need help both on the offensive line and on defense. We have them going with defense here with the first cornerback in the draft. Their pick could change based on what they do in free agency. “<\/span><\/p>\n

Full Mock Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

Not sure we agree with the “need help…on the offensive line” section of this one. For the first time in Joe Burrow<\/a>‘s career, the offensive line is fine. Sure, they can draft a potential Orlando Brown Jr.<\/a>\u00a0replacement, but that’s not at the top of the list, especially with the entire defense AND right guard posing questions.<\/p>\n

Todd McShay<\/h4>\n

“Delane had a monster season on an otherwise disappointing LSU team. His versatility as a man\/zone cornerback and his intelligent and instinctive play really jump out on tape. The Bengals need help on all three levels of their defense, and they also need players who are smart and NFL-ready on day one. Delane is a plug-and-play starter with the savvy to have early NFL success at cornerback. “<\/span><\/p>\n

Full Mock Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski<\/h4>\n

“The Cincinnati Bengals need any help they can get on defense. Joe Burrow<\/a> and Ja’Marr Chase<\/a>‘s effectiveness is mitigated when the other side of the ball can’t slow down, let alone stop, opposing offenses. <\/span>Mansoor Delane\u00a0used the transfer portal and this past season at LSU as opportunities to improve his draft standing. He currently has the inside track to be the first cornerback drafted.<\/span><\/p>\n

‘The Bengals desperately need a defensive playmaker,” Harms said. “The secondary has long been a sore spot in Cincinnati, and Delane will be a big help. He presents prototypical size at 6’0” and 190 pounds, while showing off impressive football IQ and scheme versatility. All the while, he maintains a physical presence on the boundary against any wide receiver and attacks the catch-point aggressively. <\/span>His lone season at LSU solidified his confidence and showed everyone the talent he already had. He’ll step in as Cincinnati’s No. 1 cornerback from Day 1.'”<\/span><\/p>\n

Full Mock Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (FL)<\/h3>\n

Another case of “if he’s there, you write his name in Sharpie and sprint the card to the stage,” Rueben Bain Jr.<\/a> could be considered the top EDGE of the draft (depending on what you consider Arvell Reese<\/a>). His short arms may be too much of a concern that it would be malpractice to use a top-nine pick on him, so NFL teams, take note…please.<\/p>\n

Jokes aside, Bain could be an instant-impact rookie, especially considering the Bengals lack a pass rush. Trey Hendrickson<\/a> is 99.999% gone, Myles Murphy<\/a> isn’t a pass rusher, and who knows what Shemar Stewart<\/a> is going to be.<\/p>\n

ESPN’s Field Yates<\/h4>\n

“The Bengals are desperate for defensive help across the board, but it’s hard to achieve much in the NFL without a forceful pass rush. They swung big on an answer to that issue last year by taking\u00a0<\/span>Shemar Stewart<\/a>, who had only 4.5 sacks in three college seasons but posed athletic upside. But Stewart had one sack across eight games as a rookie.<\/p>\n

Bain is the exact opposite archetype, with 20.5 sacks in three seasons but a lack of premier physical traits. He makes up for his more compact frame with overpowering strength and quick hands. Bain earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors this past season, dominating opposing offenses on the way to the CFP Championship game. With\u00a0<\/span>Trey Hendrickson<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>likely moving on this offseason, Bain would fit nicely here.”<\/p>\n

Full Mock Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee<\/h3>\n

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter<\/h4>\n

“McCoy missed all of last season with an ACL tear. If his medical exams are clean, he would meet the Bengals’ need for a physical outside corner.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Full Mock Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

There is a Reddit thread in r\/Bengals<\/a> about this very mock draft, and the general feeling is that fans would be less than stoked for this pick. McCoy is considered a top talent, but he missed the entire 2025 season with an ACL tear. He’s young, raw, and has a high ceiling, everything the Bengals love. Just like with Delane, it could be drafting for the future. McCoy would not need to be the CB1 in 2026, but he could be.<\/p>\n

The biggest issue is the fact that Bain was picked 11th…<\/p>\n

David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech<\/h3>\n

Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt<\/h4>\n

“Cincinnati would be ecstatic if the draft played out this way. If the\u00a0<\/span>Bengals\u00a0saw Bailey on the board here, they’d jump right up and make this pick. It sounds like edge rusher\u00a0<\/span>Trey Hendrickson\u00a0might move on in free agency this offseason, but the Bengals had one of the worst defenses in the league again this past season. So, they need defensive help, regardless. “<\/span><\/p>\n

Full Mock Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

Another top EDGE in the draft, David Bailey<\/a> would also be a dream if there at 10. The All-American was a solid player for three years at Stanford before truly breaking out for Texas Tech last year, leading the Red Raiders to their first Big 12 title and first conference title since 1995. He led the Big 12 with 19.5 tackles for loss and led the nation with 14.5 sacks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the Super Bowl behind us, Cincinnati Bengals mock drafts have hit the web with a wide variety of options at 10th overall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4051,"featured_media":265207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1647,7],"tags":[33533,33654,7477,32929,33706,33887,33743],"class_list":["post-265206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-draft","category-bengals","tag-2026-nfl-draft","tag-caleb-downs","tag-cincinnati-bengals-draft","tag-david-bailey","tag-jermod-mccoy","tag-mansoor-delane","tag-rueben-bain-jr"],"modified_by":"Drew Crabtree","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4051"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265206"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":265370,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265206\/revisions\/265370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}