Bengals mock draft escalates Trey Hendrickson chaos & free agency frenzy

The Cincinnati Bengals really got in on the free agency frenzy during the opening day of the NFL's legal tampering window. They scooped up hometown hero Bryan Cook from the Kansas City Chiefs to solidify the safety position, and signed Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl champ Boye Mafe to start at defensive end.

We'll see how well-spent that money proves to be. As positive-looking as those moves are, Cincinnati just saw superstar pass rusher Trey Hendrickson defect to the AFC North enemy Baltimore Ravens.

Oh, and this Bengals roster is nowhere close to playoff contention as of this writing. The defense still needs a lot of work. Namely, an interior pass rusher and stronger linebacker corps.

Here's the most proactive mock draft I can come up with on the spot for Cincinnati to ensure that this offseason doesn't yield another wasted year of Joe Burrow's prime.

Bengals 3-round mock draft gets bold to fill obvious voids on defense

*TRADE* Round 1, Pick 3 (via Cardinals) — Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

In exchange for 2027 first- and fourth-round picks, along with the 10th and 110th overall picks in this year's draft, the Bengals make a rare, audacious move to secure the rights to Sonny Styles. PFF's mock simulator validated the trade without my intervention.

This is a power of manifestation write-up as much as anything else. Cincinnati cheaped out of signing a top-market linebacker in free agency. Styles is my favorite linebacker prospect in many years; possibly ever. He draws comparisons to the likes of 49ers All-Pro Fred Warner.

Trading up for an off-ball linebacker seems ridiculous. But Styles isn't just some standard off-ball linebacker. He can line up on the edge. His athleticism is literally second to none.

Oh, and Styles literally did not miss a tackle last season until the last game against Indiana. You know, the game Daniel Jeremiah cited as a "highlight tape" above.

It'd behoove the Cardinals to trade down anyway. They need all the help they can get to tank for Arch Manning or another top QB prospect in the 2027 draft. Because their version of a plan to replace Kyler Murray is either free-agent signee Gardner Minshew or Jacoby Brissett.

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

Another linebacker is tempting here, but I'm confident Cincinnati will bring in at least *someone* in free agency. Thus, there's some freedom to take a swing on a polarizing prospect who won't meet the Bengals' typical thresholds for a cornerback, but would symbolize a refreshing open-mindedness by the personnel department.

All D'Angelo Ponds does when he hits the gridiron is lock down the opponent's best pass-catcher. He tipped the scales at 182 pounds and was listed at 5'9" at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Skeptics will say Ponds packed on some poundage just to save face from the "undersized" Narrative that follows him everywhere. My take? He didn't do any drills other than the vertical leap, but even if he added pounds in a gamesmanshippy effort to boost his draft stock, that didn't stop him from logging a 43.5-inch vert! SHEESH this man has ups!

Over the last two seasons for Indiana, Ponds converted on 120 of his 127 tackling attempts. Lack of prototypical size didn't hurt him there. His passer rating when targeted in coverage, you ask? A cool 52.6.

Ponds provides insurance in the event that the Bengals can't/opt not to extend DJ Turner or Dax Hill on the boundary. He should also be adroit enough to kick inside to nickelback and start over one-year stopgap veteran Jalen Davis.

Although Davis played great at that the nickel last season and should be commended after years of grinding on the practice squad, he's nowhere near Ponds talent-wise.

With a hat tip to my colleague Justin Fried, it sounds like Ponds is already gearing up for a majority of his snaps coming from the slot in the NFL given his film study habits.

*TRADE* Round 3, Pick 75 — Osa Odighizuwa, DL, Dallas Cowboys

CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported on Tuesday that teams across the league believe Osa Odighizuwa could be had in a trade from Dallas. What a boon he'd be to the Bengals' defensive front.

This free agency period didn't have many viable, high-end options for Cincinnati as far as interior pass rushers go. Once John Franklin-Myers was off the market, that was about it. The draft is also weak in this area.

So why not fork over a third-round pick to the Cowboys for Odighizuwa, who has 15 sacks in the last four seasons and just signed a four-year contract worth $80 million last year? The contract is already in place. No complications there unless the Bengals create them on their own volition.

Odighizuwa is miles better than any current Cincinnati defensive tackle at rushing the passer. His PFF pass rush grades the last three years are as follows: 80.0, 78.5 and 71.5.

Even in his "down" year of 2025, Odighizuwa's pass rush win rate of 13.6% bested the likes of Franklin-Myers, Quinnen Williams, Zach Allen, Moro Ojomo, Jalen Carter, and Milton Williams to name several notables.

This is the no-brainer trade to end all no-brainer trades. The Bengals have plenty of cap space to accommodate Odighizuwa through the end of his contract. No excuse not to get it done.