Cincinnati Bengals fans, you might want to sit down for this one. We at Stripe Hype have conceded defeat more or less that the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft will result in the Bengals selecting yet another contingency-type player at 10th overall.
Resigned to that fate though we may be, that doesn't mean the rest of the draft has to be a disaster. If the nonsense proposed by The Athletic's resident draft guru Dane Brugler is anything to go off of, this 2026 class could set the Bengals back many years.
Brugler hammered out a full seven-round mock draft for every team. Perhaps no one fared worse than Cincinnati.
Bengals' 2026 rookie class is a comedy of errors in Dane Brugler's 7-round 2026 NFL Mock Draft
- Round 1, Pick 10 — Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
- Round 2, Pick 41 — Peter Woods, DT, Clemson
- Round 3, Pick 72 — Josiah Trotter, LB, Missouri
- Round 4, Pick 110 — Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee
- Round 6, Pick 189 — Kaden Wetjen, WR, Iowa
- Round 6, Pick 199 — Bishop Fitzgerald, S, USC
- Round 7, Pick 221 — Adam Randall, RB, Clemson
- Round 7, Pick 226 — Ar’Maj Reed-Adams, G, Texas A&M
So yeah, Mansoor Delane is a popular pick at No. 10 in many mocks. I get that. Where you lose me is most of the next many picks.
Rather than dissecting the merits (or lack thereof) of Brugler's choices, it's better to compare/contrast to what I would do if I had the players he offers at my disposal in this mock draft scenario.
Alternative Bengals 7-round mock draft based on Dane Brugler's available prospects
Based on my "final" 2026 NFL Draft big board — necessary quotation marks, subject to last-minute changes — and who could be had for the Bengals in each round of Brugler's grotesque mock, here's my version:
- Round 1, Pick 10 — Akheem Mesidor, EDGE, Miami (FL)
- Round 2, Pick 41 — D'Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana
- Round 3, Pick 72 — Sam Hecht, C, Kansas State
- Round 4, Pick 110 — Skyler Bell, WR, UConn
- Round 6, Pick 189 — Anez Cooper, OL, Miami (FL)
- Round 6, Pick 199 — Bishop Fitzgerald, S, USC
- Round 7, Pick 221 — J.C. Davis, OT, Illinois
- Round 7, Pick 226 — Taurean York, LB, Texas A&M
Let me show you just how much better I view this prospective class as opposed to what Brugler dredged up. We'll go with my big board rankings for each pick, and if they aren't on my top 175 list of prospects, they'll be assigned the value of their draft position.
- Round 1, Pick 10 — Mansoor Delane (14th) > Akheem Mesidor (20th)
- Round 2, Pick 41 — D'Angelo Ponds (18th) > Peter Woods (64th)
- Round 3, Pick 72 — Sam Hecht (89th) > Josiah Trotter (94th)
- Round 4, Pick 110 — Skyler Bell (33rd) > Joshua Josephs (74th)
- Round 6 Pick, 189 — Anez Cooper/Kaden Wetjen is a wash, but I lean Cooper based on need and quality of prospect.
- Round 6, Pick 199 — We'll agree on Bishop Fitzgerald (79th). Throw Brugler a bone.
- Round 7, Pick 221 — J.C. Davis (106th) > Adam Randall
- Round 7, Pick 226 — Taurean York (119th) > Ar’Maj Reed-Adams
Starting at the bottom, Anez Cooper was at least close to cracking my top 175. I couldn't even tell you who Adam Randall is. Illinois' J.C. Davis is a legit swing tackle candidate who shouldn't be on the board in Round 7. Also, Taurean York isn't that much worse than Josiah Trotter as a linebacker prospect. Getting him near the Mr. Irrelevant range, as opposed to drafting Trotter in Round 3, is a far more preferable outcome.
OK but let's address the rest of the draft in order, as 25-year-old Akheem Mesidor (as of April 5) headlines my haul.
Mesidor is a bit of a reach, but he's readier to play in the NFL than Shemar Stewart is entering Year 2. You still fill that "need" at backup boundary corner with D'Angelo Ponds in Round 2, another top-20 prospect for me, and Ponds has the better inside-out versatility than Delane. He also might just prove to be a better football player.
I don't see the need for Peter Woods. He's a high-risk, high-reward guy who's best suited at 3-technique and therefore would seldom play as a rookie. The Bengals signed Jonathan Allen to fill that role in free agency. They have B.J. Hill who will split time with him as is. And I would assume Cincinnati isn't giving up on 2024 second-rounder Kris Jenkins Jr., praying he shows something as part of the rotation.
So tell me, what's the utility of Peter Woods in 2026? In the second round? After drafting a boundary CB3? Seriously? I'm about to come out of my skin, Dane!!
I'm just not into Josiah Trotter, either. Sorry. He has medical red flags, not a ton of experience, and is dreadful in coverage. My proposed alternative, Sam Hecht, would provide the Bengals with a viable Ted Karras succession plan.
Getting Skyler Bell in Round 4 would be the steal of the draft. I have Bell at 33rd, so theoretically just outside the first round. Tennessee EDGE Jonathan Josephs is my favorite choice of Brugler's mock besides our alignment on USC safety Bishop Fitzgerald, yet Josephs wouldn't be necessary with a plug-and-play first-rounder like Mesidor in the fold.
If Duke Tobin were to wait until late Day 3 to add WR3 competition, in what world (Brugler's apparently) would the Bengals pass up Cincinnati Bearcats star slot receiver Cyrus Allen in favor of Iowa's Kaden Wetjen? For real? I almost fell out of my chair when I saw that. Allen went at Pick 202 to New England in Brugler's mock.
Look, I get that Brugler has a lot to keep track of, but dude, at least try to be serious with some of these selections.
Come back in a year or two. I'll bookmark this. See who got the Bengals a better mock haul, me or Dane.
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