4 underrated Bengals alternatives to the most popular No. 10 mock picks

The Cincinnati Bengals have the 10th overall pick in April’s prossession to see who the next star of the league will be. And the mocks are coming in fast and furiously. 

However, those who partake in the holiday known as the NFL Draft have zeroed in on players they believe the Bengals will select with their first-round pick. 

But a smart, underappreciated approach would be to find players in the later rounds who fit a particular need, skillset, and role later in the draft.  

So now, we will identify who the mock-drafters have going to Cincinnati and the severely underrated alternatives who could fit the bill, allowing the Bengals to do what they do best: swing big on traits in the first round.

Three birds, one wildcat option for Bengals

The exercise of looking for an option outside of the first round for popular players mocked to the Bengals at 10 becomes incredibly simple when three of them are at the same position. 

What also makes it an incredibly easy choice is that there is only one other choice. 

Most recent mock drafts have the Bengals selecting former LSU cornerback, Mansoor Delane. The right person somewhere said Delane is the pick, and now the parrots are at work. 

But Delane is not the only DB that mock drafts have the Bengals selecting. In fact, three of the top five players mocked to Cincinnati are Delane, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, and recently surging Tennessee corner Jermod McCoy.  

Downs has the highest odds to go to Cincinnati, followed by Delane. McCoy is fourth. 

The perfect alternate pick for the Bengals, who would open up their first-round selection for another choice, is, of course, Arizona DB, Treydan Stukes. 

Not only would Stukes allow the team to acquire another player at 10, but he would immediately contribute as a slot corner and safety, filling the role Downs would play. That would allow them to keep the best part of their bad defense, Dax Hill and DJ Turner, on the outside and fill an immediate need at slot corner. 

Stukes could also be in the mix at safety opposite newly acquired safety Bryan Cook. You know how much we love those camp competitions that inevitably lead to nothing burgers once the regular season kicks off. 

More good news for the Bengals brass is that he could potentially offer the team a succession plan if they are unable to reach an agreement with Dax Hill. 

The reason we mention Hill rather than DJ Turner is Stukes’ style of play, which is eerily similar to Hill’s at Michigan. 

Cincinnati’s draft could hinge on Stukes being the guy at 41, and everything going from there. 

As a matter of fact, Stukles would be an excellent trade-back option to take at the end of the first round while picking up crucial Day 2 draft capital. 

Young or Curry to Cincy with Bain Jr. off the board 

Another player that mock drafts have Cincinnati taking is former Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr., who has the third-best odds to land with the Bengals.

It is a shame that after spending two first-round picks, a second, and a third on the defensive line in the previous three drafts, the defensive line is still a need. But we digress. 

If the Bengals do not draft Bain, no matter the reason, other edge rushers will be available who offer similar attributes.

Two lower-graded edge rushers could prove to be extremely productive in Cincinnati. The first is former Missouri defensive end Zion Young. 

We noted how Young would allow Duke Tobin and the front office to draft measurables, but with more production and a better prospect than what they had in Shemar Stewart. 

If the team could find a trade partner, they could move back later in the first round, acquire more picks, and quickly get over the hypothetical of missing out on Bain Jr. 

If the Bengals don’t want to trade back, they could wait until much later in the draft and select a criminally underrated prospect, Ohio State’s Caden Curry. 

The former Buckeye is almost identical in height, weight, and dreaded arm length. 

In 2025, Curry recorded 66 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, and 11 sacks. He is on an elite list of edge rushers with at least a 15% pressure rate while recording at least ten sacks. 

Just missing from that list is Bain, who recorded 9.5 sacks but had a 15.6% pressure rate. 

We love Young and Curry, so if the front office misses out on Bain, they have two other options who they should be excited to have on their team. 

Bengals target Bearcat after missing out on Styles

Somehow, Sonny Styles has the next-best odds of going to the Bengals after Bain, Delane, Downs, and McCoy. Someone must have the fifth-highest odds, we suppose. 

But if, err, when the Bengals do not select Styles, there are a plethora of linebackers who should be on the Bengals’ radar. 

Nevertheless, our love for Anthony Hill Jr., Kaleb Elarms-Orr, and Red Murdock notwithstanding, if the Bengals are left longing for a player like Sonny Styles, the closest prospect is another one of our favorites, Jake Golday. 

No, Golday does not have Styles’ 4.4 speed. However, how the former Bearcat played at Cincinnati is akin to how the Buckeyes used Styles. Furthermore, it is how Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden wants to use his outside linebackers. 

Nevertheless, Golday’s measurables most closely align with those of future Hall of Fame linebacker Fred Warner, according to Mock Draftable.

Furthermore, in this year’s draft, Golday compares closest to Styles where it counts the most, on the field. Styles and Golday rank first and seventh, respectively, since 2015 as linebackers with a missed tackle rate below 10%, above 72.0 coverage grade, and a relative athletic score greater than 9.85.

If the Bengals develop a deep sense of regret about missing out on Sonny Styles and what he would have brought to Cincinnati, the team could head up to Clifton and grab Golday. 

Unfortunately, Golday won’t be on the board when the Bengals pick at 72 overall. Cincinnati would have to take him at 41. 

Bold Bengals strategy could land multiple perfect fits

The Bengals can’t get both Golday and Stukes at 41. But they should absolutely find a way to leave draft weekend with both of them. 

The best way to do that, while sticking to their draft philosophies of drafting for attributes, succession planning, and accumulating more picks, is to trade back, picking up an extra second-round pick and selecting later in the first round. 

But that is easier said than done. 

Another, yet admittedly more radical option would be to take Stukes or  Golday at ten and the other at 41, grades be darned. 

Nevertheless, if the Bengals “miss out” on the players favored to land with them at 10, Treydan Stukes, Zion Young, Caden Curry, and Jake Golday would be excellent options after more popular picks fly off the board. 

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