Bengals 7-round mock draft goes ultra bold after free agency reinforcements

It's time for the Cincinnati Bengals to swallow the red pill in the 2026 NFL Draft. They live in a matrix of their own creation, chock full of of insular groupthink, brainless salary cap management, and general lack of foresight to compete among the elite organizations in modern professional football.

Sound scathing? Good. It should. Because it's even more hurtful to sit back as a fan and watch this spineless charade of semi-serious Super Bowl aspirations play out in real time.

Joe Burrow deserves better. Who Dey Nation deserves better. And right now, the 2026 season is all that matters. Because a fourth year of zero playoff football means Joe Shiesty could be forcing his way out of town.

So bearing all that in mind, this seven-round mock draft is going all-in on one season, and in essence, one player, to get the Bengals back on track. It's time to wake up.

Bengals defy conventional wisdom in trade up for elite defensive prospect in 7-round mock draft

*TRADE* Round 1, Pick 2 (via Jets) — Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

• Jets receive: 10th & 72nd overall picks, plus 2027 1st- and 2nd-round picks
• Bengals receive: No. 2 overall pick & CB Qwan'tez Stiggers

Oh yeah, we're doing this. At least in my own head for this alternate-universe mock draft.

Sonny Styles is the best linebacker prospect of my lifetime. The Bengals have a glaring hole at linebacker. As long as they deliver a strong 2026 season, the cost of parting ways with premium 2027 draft picks.

I've pounded the table, the keyboard, my desk, et al. for Sonny Styles for months. Arming the Jets with their fourth first-round pick in next year's draft would be enough to get this deal over the line. They could very well position themselves for Arch Manning and Jeremiah Smith in the '27 draft.

Styles is visiting with the Bengals prior to the draft and has publicly gassed up his familiarity with defensive coordinator Al Golden. Keeping this Buckeye in the Buckeye State would transform the defense from terrible to respectable in one fell swoop.

Please draft Sonny Styles, Bengals. No matter what it takes. He's a future perennial All-Pro right in your own backyard. Don't think. Just do it.

Round 2, Pick 41 — D'Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana

Nothing to date disproves the notion that D'Angelo Ponds can't function as a boundary cornerback in the NFL. He's faced high-caliber draft prospects and locked down every last one of them.

Ponds has uncanny instincts, a DAWG mentality as a tackler, and is a stupendous athlete. All he lacks is a prototypical frame. Nevertheless, he's thickly-built at 5'9", 182 pounds, and his ridiculous 43.5-inch vertical leap shows up on the field in that he plays far bigger than his size would suggest.

Whether he serves as insurance for the potential departure of DJ Turner or Dax Hill, or cements himself as a starting nickel, Ponds would be an undeniable asset to the Bengals' defensive backfield.

Round 4, Pick 110 — Brenen Thompson, WR, Mississippi State

Ja'Marr Chase is arguably the best all-around receiver in the sport. Tee Higgins is elite in downfield contested catch situations. What the Bengals don't have is a pure burner who can blow the top off the defense.

Enter: Brenen Thompson, who averaged 18.5 yards per catch on 84 receptions in his college career — and 39.8 yards on his 10 TD grabs. It was no surprise when he blazed his way to a 4.26-second 40-yard dash at the Combine.

Burrow could use a deep speed specialist like Thompson, who is surprisingly adept at beating press coverage in spite of his football featherweight status at 164 pounds. This dude is fast-fast.

Round 6, Pick 189 — Lorenzo Styles Jr., S, Ohio State

Why not bring Sonny's brother aboard while we're at it?

Lorenzo Styles Jr. is a freak athlete just like his sibling, evident in his 4.27 40 and 39-inch vert at the Combine. He could be a contender as the Bengals' nickelback of the future if Ponds plays on the perimeter, or at the very least, a speedy special teams demon.

Round 6, Pick 199 — Red Murdock, LB, Buffalo

Doubling down on linebacker ain't a bad idea, because that's how little faith I have in Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter.

In Red Murdock's case, he's more of a depth piece, yet his collegiate production is nothing to sneeze at whatsoever. Over his last three years at Buffalo, Murdock piled up a whopping 356 combined tackles, nine sacks and seventeen forced fumbles.

Round 7, Pick 221 — Uar Bernard, DT, Nigeria

The International Player Pathway program is a pipeline the Bengals could tap into with an athletic freak show in Uar Bernard. That's meant as the highest compliment. Bernard is a neophyte to the gridiron, but his physical tools are not of this planet. He's 6'4.5", 306 pounds with a 7'1" wingspan.

Oh, did I mention he runs a 4.63 40, jumps out of the stadium, and boasts only 6% body fat? Sign me up for a Himothy like Bernard as a seventh-round flier.

Round 7, Pick 226 — Riley Nowakowski, TE, Indiana

Unclear why this national champ isn't getting more love in the greater draft community. Riley Nowakowski is a gritty blocker in the running game and in pass protection (69+ PFF grades in both). He averaged a healthy 7.7 yards after the catch in 2025 and ran a respectable 4.66 40 at the Combine.

What's not to like? To me, Nowakowski projects to be what the Bengals have always hoped Drew Sample would become.