A slightly chaotic 7-round Bengals mock draft following the Dexter Lawrence trade

Saturday evening, the Bengals shocked their fans and the entire NFL world by doing something completely out of character for them: they traded the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for 2x All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Fans can argue all they want over whether this was a good move or not (spoiler alert: it was). Regardless, this further proves Duke Tobin's "all-in" comment at the beginning of the offseason was entirely genuine.

The Bengals have had their most active free agency since 2021; the front office had their backs against the wall, and they've actually put in the work, specifically on the defensive side of the ball. They, of course, brought in Dexter Lawrence, as mentioned above, as well as other notable names like Boye Mafe, Bryan Cook, and Jonathan Allen. Even after free agency died down a bit, they went out and signed Kyle Dugger, who may not start but should still see a significant number of snaps.

Given how they've basically addressed every major hole on defense-- with the notable and still somewhat concerning one at linebacker-- they may be more open to attacking the offense in the draft than they were even a week ago, before this trade. Speaking of which...

All stats courtesy of Sports Reference.

2.41 - Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama

In a class full of intriguing wide receiver prospects, from the top-line guys like Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon to G5/FCS players getting buzz such as Skyler Bell and Bryce Lance, Germie Bernard seems to slip through the cracks of these discussions.

Despite going to one of the biggest College Football talent factories in the country and having solid production on rosters full of talent,, Bernard is still projected to be a second- or third-round pick. The Bengals could be interested in giving Burrow another weapon on the offense.

Bernard's versatility makes him an interesting option for the WR3 gap that Cincinnati has had since Tyler Boyd's departure, as he can line up outside or in the slot. Like Tyler Boyd, what Germie Bernard lacks in speed or strength, he makes up for in reliability, with just 4 career drops on 232 targets in college. That reliability alone makes him a solid weapon with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the front of defensive coordinators' minds.

After returning all five of their starters on the offensive line and heavily addressing defense in free agency, the Bengals put themselves in a position where they can fairly comfortably go BPA rather than drafting for needs, and Germie Bernard may be at the top of the list at No. 41.

3.72 - Josiah Trotter, LB, Missouri

As mentioned earlier in this article, while the front office has made some major moves this offseason, the second level is still a major concern for the defense. Jacob Rodriguez would be the ideal way to address the linebacker position. He's arguably the best prospect after Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese, and may be the most pro-ready with his age and experience. However, there's a very real possibility he isn't available at 41, as his stock has recently been picking up steam to warrant late round 1 talks.

The Bengals are prone to reaching on someone in scenarios like these in the past, but given their aggressive free agency and the fact they just drafted two last year (one of whom was well above consensus), they may be more prone to sitting back and seeing how the board falls at pick 72. In that case, they land a solid propsect in Josiah Trotter out of Missouri.

A younger prospect at 21 years old and with only two years of college experience, Trotter could still realistically come in as an upgrade over the 2025 4th-round pick, Barrett Carter. While he struggles immensely in coverage, Trotter offers a lot as a tackler and run defender, with a career missed tackle rate of 8.5% and a run defense grade of 85.3, according to Gridiron Grading.

Ideally, the Bengals would still go out and add one of the few starter-level veteran linebackers on the market even with this pick, but taking Trotter should clear up some of their tackling issues at the second level.

4.110 - Bud Clark, S, TCU

Bringing in Bud Clark would be less to address the safety room (which the front office has already done a lot of), and more to provide competition for Jalen Davis and Bralyn Lux at the nickel. Clark spent six seasons at Texas Christian-- which is also the college a certain red-headed Bengals quarterback from the 2010s attended-- and started four of them, giving him tons of experience as both a safety and slot corner.

In those four years, Clark had some really good production, with 15 interceptions, 21 passes defended, and 201 tackles. The former Horned Frog would be one of the bigger nickels in the league at 6'2, 190lbs, so think less of Mike Hilton and more of Tre Flowers-- someone who can come in and be assigned to covering opposing tight ends.

Besides linebacker, nickel is one of the few positions that the Bengals should still look to address. Jalen Davis might have had a breakout year, but he's 30 and really only has 7 games (all in 2025) of extended experience as a starting nickel. Not to say Bud Clark could come in and take his job from the start, but if things start to look shaky, the TCU alum could come in and fiil that role.

6.188 - Pat Coogan, C, Indiana
6.198 - Adam Randall, HB, Clemson
7.221 - Vincent Anthony Jr., EDGE, Duke
7.226 - John Michael Gyllenborg, TE, Wyoming

While Cincy hammered out a deal with Orlando Brown Jr. and made the likelihood of drafting his replacement unlikely. (although I wouldn't be surprised if they added a swing tackle for depth in this draft), Ted Karras will be a free agent and 34 years old after the 2026-27 season. That, plus releasing Matt Lee lead to the Bengals taking National Championship-winning center Pat Coogan with their first 6th round pick.

With their second sixth-rounder, they stick to the status quo. There are two drafting patterns the Bengals have mostly maintained in the Zac Taylor era. Drafting a player from Clemson (Tee Higgins, Jackson Carman, Myles Murphy) and selecting a running back in late Day 3 of the draft (Chris Evans, Chase Brown, Tahj Brooks). Selecting Adam Randall, who is coming off of an 800+ yard and 10 touchdown senior season with the tigers, fulfills both of those quotas.

With their seventh-round picks, Cincy adds a couple of camp bodies. While their top three players at defensive end feel pretty set (Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, Shemar Stewart), the 6'6, 258lb Vincent Anthony Jr. could give depth pieces Cedric Johnson and Isaiah Foskey a run for their money for that DE4 spot. The former Blue Devil finished his four years at Duke with 15.0 sacks and 29 tackles for loss.

And while fans would like to think the Bengals feel the need to address tight end-- especially if it meant adding the likes of Oscar Delp or Eli Raridon on late Day 2 or early Day 3 of the draft-- this is definitely one position where they like the guys they have. Mike Gesicki is a solid receiving option and a de facto slot receiver, Drew Sample will always have a place in Zac Taylor's offense as the current longest tenured Bengal, Erick All Jr. does have a high ceiling and would be ideal for this offense if he can stay healthy, and Burrow seems to trust Tanner Hudson.

Still, they may add one more with one of their last picks-- in this case, Wyoming's John Michael Gyllenborg-- though chances are that tight end would only see the active roster with either an incredible training camp or an injury bug infestation to that room.

The draft is only a couple of days away now, so get your mock drafts in now before they become completely obsolete!

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