Bold mock draft has Bengals neglecting offensive line crisis

The Cincinnati Bengals' season is not going away as fans expected, and/or hoped for. Recently, the team traded for veteran quarterback Joe Flacco in hopes of keeping the season afloat until Joe Burrow returns in December.

But while some of us cling to hope, with a record of 2-3 and heading into week six with their third starting quarterback of the season, other fans are already looking ahead to the 2026 NFL draft.

Luckily, for all of us, the mock drafts are coming in at a fast and furious pace. One of the latest comes from Ryan Wilson at CBS Sports. And, it offers a damning glimpse into the current roster and what could potentially lie ahead for the rest of the season for the men in stripes.

Mock draft has Bengals picking No. 2 overall

Excuse me? I beg your pardon? 

Wilson has the Bengals selecting second overall. He bases his draft order on FanDuel’s Super Bowl odds. Even in their current state of affairs, this is shocking as the Bengals are in second place in the AFC North.

If the draft were to take place tomorrow, Cincy would pick 13th. That means that between now and the end of the season, there is at least one sportsbook that believes 11 teams will surpass Cincinnati. Or, to put that in another way, the Bengals will be so bad that they might only have one or two more wins in their system for 2025.

If this season were to end with the Bengals winning only four or five games, it would be incredibly disappointing and could lead to unexpected but well-deserved changes beyond the roster. And we do not necessarily mean Zac Taylor.

However, even if they do finish higher than what some are expecting, the Bengals could consider trading up for one of the top offensive line prospects if they finish in the neighborhood of the number two pick.

But we should not hold our collective breaths that such a thing would happen. But we can dream, though. Nevertheless, they are more likely to trade back and select someone whom they weren't targeting. Welcome to the chat, Billy Price and Frank Ragnow.

Who does CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson select for the Bengals?

In this version of the 2026 NFL mock draft, Wilson gives the Bengals Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. The Hurricanes defender is CBS's top prospect. Bain is also at the top of other outlets, such as Pro Football Focus and ESPN.

Bain is who we hoped to get when Cincinnati drafted Shemar Stewart. He is a quick and powerful defensive end, impressive at both rushing the passer and stopping the run.

The 2023 season marked an incredible freshman effort from Bain, as he recorded 44 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 12.5 tackles for loss. Through five games this year, Bain has 26 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks after a quieter 2024 campaign.

When considering the consensus, selecting the best player in the draft would be a positive, but it raises other glaring issues.

Would Bengals really draft a third first-round edge rusher in four years?

The Bengals drafted Clemson edge rusher Myles Murphy in the first round of the 2023 draft. What he was as a player was clear. At best, Cincinnati was getting a Sam Hubbard replacement. The issue with that is that Hubbard was a third-round selection. And Murphy has yet to perform to that level, let alone one deserving of a first-round selection. 

There was no scenario in which the team should have thought of Murphy as a potential Trey Hendrickson replacement. Yet, the front office operated as if that was a viable option when they negotiated with Hendrickson.

However, we are holding out hope that he can blossom into a reliable pass rusher, similar to what the Bengals will face on Sunday when they go against Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary. 

Fast forward to the 2025 draft, in the Bengals selected Texas A&M's Shemar Stewart. The word on the street is that he continues to flash his explosiveness and potential. We can only hope that this kinetic energy will eventually transform into potential energy, ultimately translating into on-field production.

With Murphy and Stewart on the roster, the Bengals must hope they can get some results from them commiserate with their round status.

Drafting a third edge rusher in four years in the first round, while the rest of the roster is underperforming, speaks to the ineptitude in evaluating players at the position and the stubbornness in not paying Hendrickson.

Bengals mock draft shuns offensive line help at the top despite loaded pool of prospects

Furthermore, it's difficult to see a mock draft that has the Bengals select a defensive end in the first round for the third time in four years while Joe Burrow recovers from yet another injury that will keep him out most of this season.

While none of us should expect the front office to value what makes a good offensive lineman in the pros, they have a better chance of getting a good one by happenstance with the second overall pick. 

For experts to see what is happening in Cincinnati and the amount of hits and pressures given up by the offensive line, it is beyond disappointing that someone will choose to ignore the problem while chastising Cincinnati for not doing enough to rectify the issue.

Wilson has two offensive linemen in the top 10 and six total going in the first round of his mock draft. 

Wilson has Spencer Fano (going 5th overall), Francis Mauigoa (9th), Kadyn Proctor (16th), Trevor Goosby (25th), Caleb Lomu (30th), and Connor Lew (32nd) all going in the first round of his latest mock draft.

Bengals offensive line needs reinforcements in the worst way

If Cincinnati winds up with a high pick and doesn't select an offensive line, we must face the fact that the team lacks a genuine desire to address what has held it back for so long: the atrocious play of the offensive line.

Orlando Brown could become a cap casualty next season. PFF currently ranks him as the 70th-best offensive tackle. However, next season, his cap number will be the 27th highest. But Brown is far from the only issue for the much-maligned group. However, he is the most expensive one.

Pro Football Network grades the Bengals’ offensive line as the second-worst unit in the NFL. That is an improvement over their 32nd ranking last week. 

According to The Athletic’s Ben Baldwin, the Bengals have both the worst pass protection and run blocking composite ratings.

If the Bengals do select second overall, that means they will have a great chance at acquiring another excellent player at the top of the second round. At this point, we hope that they select two offensive linemen with those pics.

But we strongly suggest that the Bengals wait until the second round to potentially draft an edge rusher like David Bailey, who PFF ranks as their seventh-best edge player and their 34th overall prospect.

Hopefully, as this season progresses and future mock drafts, the Bengals will be selecting much later. Also, we should expect the experts to zero in on players who could immediately improve what is the worst offensive line in the NFL, regardless of where the Bengals finish record-wise.

Until the Bengals competently address the offensive line, they will fail to fix the main issue holding this team back. And that begins with the proper personnel decisions in the draft.

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