It's been mock draft season for Cincinnati Bengals fans for months now, but now that we're in the thick of the playoffs, more and more teams who are eliminated are jumping on that bandwagon.
Looking ahead to the 2026 campaign, superstar quarterback Joe Burrow has said this offseason is "as big as it gets" for the Bengals. They badly need a strong, impactful draft to contend and capitalize on the wide-open state of the AFC North next season.
Based on the way Cincinnati has always done business, though, don't expect a splashy first-round addition. Rather, look for impact players on Day 2, and a succession plan at a high-value position in Round 1 instead.
2026 Bengals mock draft selects Georgia star with 10th overall pick as successor to Orlando Brown Jr.
At this point in time, Georgia left tackle Monroe Freeling checks in at 31st on PFF's big board. There's still room for him to climb up the draft order. For purposes of matching that evaluation more closely, I pulled off a mock trade here.
The Bengals drop back to the 26th pick in a trade with Buffalo, who makes a desperation move to try to do right by Josh Allen after yet another playoff heartbreak. Here's what ensues from there:
- Round 1, Pick 26 (via Bills) — Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia
- Round 2, Pick 41 — Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech
- Round 2, Pick 60 (via Bills) — Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo
- Round 3, Pick 72 — Skyler Bell, WR, UConn
- Round 4, Pick 110 — Bishop Fitzgerald, S, USC
- Round 6, Pick 188 — Aiden Fisher, LB, Indiana
- Round 6, Pick 198 — Eric O'Neill, EDGE, Rutgers
- Round 7, Pick 226 — Jeremiah Wright, OL, Auburn
Freeling is a phenomenal athlete who's listed at 6'7", 315 pounds and explodes off the film with his movement skills. Now that Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. is entering the final season of his four-year, $64 million contract, Freeling is in prime position to be his heir apparent.
Not bad company to keep when your production profile is close to that of a healthy Austin Jackson — and that's before Relative Athletic Score is taken into account. I imagine Freeling is going to dominate at the Combine. It'd behoove him to do every drill possible, rather than wait for a Pro Day workout.
Closest production comps for Georgia OT Monroe Freeling. Freeling a below average pass blocker with a college peak of a 74.1 pass blocking grade in true pass sets. His run blocking also rate out as below average with a 71.3 zone blocking grade and a 64.5 blocking grade in gap… pic.twitter.com/1VcdEVPO9c
— Adam Carter (@impactfbdata) January 8, 2026
It'd be classic Bengals with their under-resourced scouting department to just simply pick another Georgia tackle in the first round. That's what they did in 2024 with Amarius Mims, and he's settled in nicely on the right side of Cincy's o-line next to Dalton Risner.
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That trade with the Bills would give Cincinnati leverage to build an even deeper roster with an extra second-round pick this year and in 2027. They not only get a playmaking nose tackle in Lee Hunter in Round 2, but also nab a future starting safety in Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
As for the rest of this lengthy mock, doubling up at safety with USC's Bishop Fitzgerald is a fine idea. Fitzgerald is a stud, not just because of his surname, but he's a nice complement to McNeil-Warren's more box-type role as a true defensive center fielder. The Bengals need a viable third safety and another special teams contributor. I do believe Fitzgerald would excel in those areas.
Sixth- and seventh-round picks are more for depth purposes than anything else.
Aiden Fisher at linebacker could actually see defensive snaps if Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter continue to play poorly. Eric O'Neill has had a strange journey from Long Island University to James Madison to Rutgers and is a plus pass rusher. Auburn's 348-pound right guard Jeremiah Wright could be a nice backup to Risner, assuming the latter re-signs.
The big fish and a source of potential redemption is prospective third-round wideout Skyler Bell from UConn. He piled up 102 catches for 1,282 yards and 13 TDs this year. Sure-handed, 13-for-20 on contested catches, averaged 8.2 yards after the catch, and has plenty of experience in the slot.
Bell could redeem the 2024 third-round whiff on Jermaine Burton and upgrade the Bengals' WR3 spot behind Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins by beating out Andrei Iosivas.