Monster pro day performances add fuel to Bengals' speculated draft strategy

The Cincinnati Bengals are just far down enough the 2026 NFL Draft pecking order to potentially lose out on true blue-chip prospects at positions of need. However, "need" isn't the only consideration for first- and second-round picks.

I've argued that positional value is overrated and shouldn't be Cincinnati's primary draft concern. At the same time, the Bengals are notorious for drafting "succession plan" type players early in the draft.

Although the reported plan is to extend boundary cornerbacks DJ Turner and Dax Hill, a couple players at the position could very well hear their name called to Cincinnati in the first two rounds.

Mansoor Delane & Keionte Scott strengthen resumes as early Bengals draft targets at LSU & Miami pro days

LSU's Mansoor Delane is emerging as the consensus CB1. Not that he had to crush his pro day to cement that status, but Delane went ahead and did that anyway with his blazing 40-yard dash.

If Delane falls to the 10th overall pick, his pro day performance only furthers the notion that the Bengals won't pass him up.

ESPN's Field Yates just dropped a two-round mock draft in which Cincinnati selects Delane in Round 1. His rationale is totally off, as he declares the boundary corner spot opposite Turner to be "a hole" that "remains unanswered." Couldn't be further from the truth. It'd be one thing if he advocated for Hill to go back to the slot, where he began the 2025 season, but that ain't the case.

In any event, what are the chances the Bengals actually extend both Turner and Hill, who share the same agent? Having the same representation should help, yet it makes little sense if Delane is the pick at No. 10.

A more obvious need is at nickelback. Jalen Davis played well last season when he finally got his opportunity. Nevertheless, he's 30 years old, and only signed a one-year deal this offseason.

Enter: Miami Hurricanes heat-seeking missile Keionte Scott as a strong candidate with the 41st overall pick.

Scott is like a thicker, more explosive Mike Hilton. He's quick to diagnose plays, is a lethal blitzing threat from the slot, and his raw athleticism is something to behold. His pro day showing also yielded a downright ridiculous 44-inch vertical leap.

My main qualm: PFF marked Scott down for a 20.3% missed tackle rate in 2025. He whiffs on way too many opportunities for me to be comfortable investing anything richer than a third-round pick. The rub? That pro day all but guarantees Scott won't make it out of the second round.

It'd be one thing if he were a younger prospect, but Scott turns 25 in August. He should be better at finishing plays than he is.

Perhaps in the right NFL environment, Scott could develop in that area and become a legitimate star. For a Bengals team that badly needs immediate-impact players and sure tacklers, he might not be the best fit.

Given Cincinnati's penchant for employing poor tacklers on defense of late, though, it's easy to see a scenario where Duke Tobin gambles on Scott's supposed upside in Round 2.

If given the choice between one or the other, Delane in the first round versus Scott in the second, I'd take Delane every day and twice on Sunday. I just hope that's not the direction the Bengals go — even if "positional value" suggests that should be the way.

It's very realistic that Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman is available. Positional value narratives could also cause Ohio State safety Caleb Downs or his teammate, linebacker Sonny Styles, to fall to No. 10. Passing on any of those three studs for Delane should send Who Dey Nation into a tailspin. In under a month, we'll all find out together which strange direction the Bengals' draft goes.