The Cincinnati Bengals own the No. 10 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and will hopefully never draft that high again for the remainder of Joe Burrow's career. It'd be nice to make the most of that selection with an immediate-impact player, which would be quite the change-up from recent Bengals first-rounders.
Duke Tobin and the personnel department could set up a weird, unconventional dart board full of Ohio State prospects, blindfold themselves, and draft whomever the dart is closest to when they go on the clock. It's a stretch of a metaphor, but you catch my drift.
Speaking of stretches, we're about to get way too optimistic around these parts. Because a certain cornerback prospect's ascending stock could have a most beneficial trickle-down effect for Cincinnati.
ESPN insider report suggests Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy is a 'top-12 lock' in NFL Draft
ESPN's Matt Miller recently delivered a most compelling insider's take on Tennessee star Jermod McCoy. The dynamic cornerback's draft stock was in some doubt since he lost the entire 2025 campaign to a torn ACL.
That is, until the Volunteers' pro day. McCoy lit it up with a 38-inch vertical leap, a 10'7" broad jump, and a 4.38-second 40-yard dash.
Based on what Miller is hearing from his sources, it's possible McCoy could even eclipse LSU's Mansoor Delane as the first corner off the board on draft night:
"The feedback I received from teams was that McCoy is back in the running for CB1. There were some questions even from the morning of the workout about what drills he would participate in. But he did everything, including positional drills. Teams love McCoy's size (6-foot, 193 pounds) and his over 1-inch advantage in terms of arm length over Delane -- 31¼ inches compared to 30 inches. And while Delane's elite final season might keep him in the top spot, both players feel like top-12 locks."
This has massive implications for the Bengals' potential draft plans.
The floor for Delane's draft stock has always felt like the cornerback-needy Miami Dolphins at No. 11 overall. Speculation has swirled that Cincinnati could even select Delane with the 10th pick if he's still on the board amid uncertainty about the futures of DJ Turner and Dax Hill.
It's been reported that the Bengals want to give second contracts to both Turner and Hill. They share the same agent, however, and that could make negotiations a little weird if one or both of them get low-balled. Cincinnati is notorious for doing precisely that to its star players not named Joe Burrow or Ja'Marr Chase.
OK enough front office bashing for this particular piece. What's most important to focus on is the evident possibility that Delane and McCoy are drafted before the Bengals go on the clock.
Personally? Bring on this scenario, PLEASE! The Kansas City Chiefs could easily draft Delane or McCoy at No. 9, considering they lost Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson to the Rams this offseason.
If Delane maintains his spot as the consensus CB1, it wouldn't be a shock at all to see the New Orleans Saints go local and select him right before Kansas City, leaving the Chiefs to take McCoy.
Mini 2026 NFL mock draft gives Bengals options galore in best-case scenario of Round 1
Let's just run through a quick mock in which Delane goes eighth to New Orleans and KC scoops up McCoy at No. 9. Bear with me, because we're playing in fantasy land a little bit with this one. I'm just spitballing the best-case scenario that still feels within earshot of reality.
- Las Vegas Raiders — Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
- New York Jets — Arvell Reese, LB/EDGE, Ohio State
- Arizona Cardinals — David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
- Tennessee Titans — Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
- New York Giants — Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State
- Cleveland Browns — Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
- Washington Commanders — Makai Lemon, WR, USC
- New Orleans Saints — Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
- Kansas City Chiefs — Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
Mendoza to Vegas and Reese to the Jets are chalky picks at this point. Arizona could go any way, but a speedy pass rusher like Bailey is a good bet. Jeremiyah Love is a great fit for the Titans to pair with young quarterback Cam Ward.
Where this dream world starts to fracture a bit is from picks five through seven. I'm mortified that the Giants will steal my beloved, Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, but they did sign Tremaine Edmunds in free agency, so there's a shot they pass up on Styles at No. 5 in favor of pairing Carnell Tate with Malik Nabers.
Then, we have the Cleveland Clowns, er, Browns. They'll likely draft the best wideout or best offensive lineman available. They need a left tackle, and Monroe Freeling's stock keeps climbing.
Washington is the true wild card. A defensive head coach like Dan Quinn might pound the table for Styles, or his teammate/Bengals fan favorite draft target Caleb Downs. Maybe the Commanders go in on another playmaker for QB Jayden Daniels instead.
See? Does it seem like such a stretch that the Bengals could be choosing between Styles, Downs, and Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr.? There's a chance this could actually happen!
OK I know. It's a stretch. Regardless, the Giants could be in the market for a cornerback as well, and if Delane and McCoy go in the top nine, that gives Cincinnati freer rein to attack more obvious needs on defense.
Or...perhaps another blue-chip pass-catcher for Joe Burrow...? Like I say, possibilities abound!