Al Golden & Ohio ties could pay off big for Bengals with draft's top LB

The Cincinnati Bengals have failed to acquire a single linebacker in free agency to date. Not that it's too late to do so, but the future of the position in general looks pretty bleak based on the rookie seasons put forth by Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter in 2025.

I'm so sick of writing those dudes' names, I can't even tell you. Knight and Carter were green to say the least in their maiden pro campaigns. Someone like Bobby Wagner would be an ideal mentor.

in lieu of any free-agent additions, though, the Bengals could plumb for a 'backer in the 2026 NFL Draft. The very best one is signaling strong interest to play in Cincinnati, and the team is wisely in at least casual pursuit of him.

Ohio State LB Sonny Styles hints Bengals are an ideal landing spot in 2026 NFL Draft

My penultimate 2026 NFL Draft big board has Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles as the No. 2 overall prospect behind Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. If I were making a big board for the Bengals specifically, he'd be right at the top.

Styles hopped on Kay Adams' show to discuss his pre-draft visits, and revealed some compelling insight into how he's a solid match for the Bengals.

"I'm going down for the local day to see the coaches. Cincy is right around the corner, it just makes it a lot easier. So that'll be exciting. I'm an Ohio guy, so it'd be exciting to stay in Ohio. Coach Golden from Notre Dame, I remember when he was there. He's awesome. He worked with some of the staff that's here at Ohio State, so I've heard a lot of good things about him."

If Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden was pounding the table in the draft war room for Knight and/or Carter last year, he'll be sprinting, flipping, and tumbling down a makeshift 40-yard dash runway to get Styles to the Queen City.

It helps that Styles at least has some loose familiarity with Golden. The local ties also can't be underestimated. Styles was born in Pickerington, Ohio, which is more of the central/Columbus area of the state.

Nevertheless, Buckeye State links are are big part what lured Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook to return home to his native Cincinnati in free agency.

As fun as it would be for the Bengals to draft Styles' teammate, safety Caleb Downs, it's quite possible that Styles could be better than Downs at some of the do-it-all defensive back's prospective roles.

What do I mean by that? Well, Downs is viewed as a hybrid nickel-box-deep safety in the vein of Baltimore Ravens rival Kyle Hamilton, or Seattle Seahawks X-factor Nick Emmanwori. The difference? Downs doesn't possess Hamilton's freakish size, nor Emmanwori's all-world athleticism.

Styles has an athletic profile that is absurd no matter which position you classify him as. He told Adams that he feels he could actually play a Hamilton-esque role in the NFL.

Who am I to argue with Styles here? Ideally, from the Bengals' standpoint, he'd be a predominant off-ball linebacker who could align at defensive end on occasion, and even more seldom, play in the slot or box safety spot. The point is, Al Golden could get really creative with him.

Let's walk through some of Styles' physical tools that suggest he could indeed play just about anywhere on Cincinnati's D, shall we?

To put the above agility numbers in context, too, Styles' 3-cone drill was faster than Mizzou cornerback Toriano Pride Jr., who ran a 4.32 40. That 20-yard shuttle time from Styles? Superior to highly touted Alabama wide receiver Germie Bernard.

Bear in mind, too, that Styles is a converted safety. He's still coming into his own as a linebacker. Still, until his final game of last season, Styles hadn't missed a single tackle. He's as dominant in run defense as linebacker prospects come.

My gut tells me the Bengals would have to trade up from the 10th pick to have a crack at drafting Sonny Styles. It couldn't be more worth it in my humble opinion. Cincinnati needs impactful rookies on defense. Styles is as pro-ready and as complete a linebacker prospect as I've seen in my lifetime.

Seldom have I felt such conviction. Penei Sewell springs to mind as someone on Styles' level of limitless ceiling, high floor, and as much of a safe bet as anyone in any given draft.

There's enough interest on Styles' end and enough linkage to Golden for the Bengals to, yes, go all-in, trade up in the draft, and make sure they get him in orange and black stripes. Please. PLEASE DO IT! Make my wildest offseason dreams (in part) come true!