The Cincinnati Bengals are picking far enough down the board in the 2026 NFL Draft to possibly miss out on every single blue-chip prospect in the first round.
Or at least that's how the big board seems to be breaking at this point. Based on the needs of teams ahead of them and, frankly, superior scouting departments, no one should trust Cincinnati to do the right thing. And we all know a trade up isn't happening.
In surveying FanSided's big board, wherein team-specific experts provide breakdowns of their top five preferred first-round prospects, the Bengals' outlook gets even bleaker.
Top big board targets for each team implies Giants & Commanders will crush Bengals' highest draft aspirations
The brand-new FanSided interactive 2026 NFL Draft big board is live, with breakdowns and scouting reports for all the top prospects and top-five power rankings of each team's targets.
As Stripe Hype's site expert and the unimpeachable spokesman of Who Dey Nation, I placed Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles atop the Bengals' first-round wish list. Unfortunately, the same goes for the Washington Commanders' Riggo's Rag and GMENHQ, which yes, covers the New York Giants.
Worse yet, RR's Dean Jones and GMHQ's Matt Sidney list Styles' teammate, safety Caleb Downs, as their team's No. 2 preferred pick at fifth and seventh overall respectively.
Bad news for the Bengals, as they don't go on the clock until the No. 10 pick. In fact, allow me to cite an Adam Schefter quote from a recent piece by Lior Lampert for GMENHQ:
"I think, my own sense, reading between the lines, is that it's going to be an Ohio State defensive player...Whether that's going to be Sonny Styles, or whether that's going to be Caleb Downs. Both players, I believe, would be just what John Harbaugh is looking for in his very first pick as the Giants' head coach. To me, one of those two guys makes sense."
As if Cincinnati fans aren't scarred enough by Harbaugh's lengthy tenure for the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens. He seems keen to make us suffer furthermore in his new digs.
The ripple effect of the Giants *or* Commanders drafting Styles and Downs in some order should make a major impact on the Bengals. Their defense is in dire need of assistance. They might not get it if the board breaks this way.
What about a playmaker on offense? Uh-oh.
Guess who checks in at No. 3 for Washington and No. 4 for New York on the big board power rankings? Generational Notre Dame tailback Jeremiyah Love, who Cincinnati has met with, but is unlikely to be in range for barring a trade up. Mind you, Love is the consensus No. 1 target for the Tennessee Titans at No. 4 overall as is.
So let's say the Titans take the plunge on Love. Styles and Downs are gone by seventh overall. That'd leave Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. as the clear top player remaining on defense.
Bain just so happens to be atop the Kansas City Chiefs' list of draft targets at No. 9, and is third on the New Orleans Saints' hierarchy of preferences behind Downs and Arvell Reese, who can't be had unless New Orleans moves up the board.
All told, there's a strong chance that the actions of the G-Men and Commanders will see two premier Ohio State defenders go to the NFC East. That will then push Bain down the board to two of his most obvious destinations in the Saints and Chiefs.
Who are the Bengals left with? Love seems unlikely. The only target remaining on my top five is Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. Here's the breakdown, as I have Cincinnati's targets in order as Styles-Bain-Sadiq-Love-Downs:
"Kenyon Sadiq would add a whole new dimension to the Bengals' Joe Burrow-led passing attack. He's a willing blocker who'd help Cincinnati diversify its personnel packages and keep defenses even more off-balance. Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins create myriad matchup problems for Bengals opponents as is. Now imagine a 241-pound tight end/pseudo-slot receiver who runs sub-4.4 added to the mix along with Mike Gesicki. Weaponry galore for Joe Shiesty."
If this is how it goes down on draft night, I'm more inclined to believe the Bengals would trade back in Round 1. They could still get Sadiq a little later on, perhaps as late as the late teens.
Another few options: Nab Bain's running mate, Akheem Mesidor, another first-round-caliber cornerback in San Diego State's Chris Johnson, or Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez.
I don't know. This is all kind of a bummer. Excitement should be building a week before the draft. For those of us Bengals supporters, it's more like existential dread.
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