The NFL Draft has been absolutely critical to the success of the Cincinnati Bengals in recent years. The Bengals completely rebuilt themselves through the draft over the past half-decade, and the team made a Super Bowl and two AFC Championship games as a result.
The Bengals selected star quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and then snagged stud wide receiver Tee Higgins with the No. 33 overall pick in the second round that same year. The following year, Cincinnati landed superstar wideout Ja'Marr Chase with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 draft. That trio of players has helped to turn Cincinnati's offense into one of the most dangerous in the entire NFL.
After stacking up on offense, the team addressed the defensive side of the ball early on in the 2022 and 2023 drafts, and they added key contributors like Cam Taylor-Britt, Dax Hill, DJ Turner and Jordan Battle.
In 2024, the Bengals had a total of 10 picks in the draft and then used them to address several areas of need, including the offensive line as they added tackle Amarius Mims in the first round.
As NFL contracts grow to get more and more expensive moving forward, it will be imperative for the Bengals to continue to identify top talent through the draft. Luckily, the team is set up pretty nice when it comes to future draft picks. Here's a look at all of Cincinnati's picks in the upcoming NFL draft, as they currently stand.
2025 NFL Draft picks
- Round 1 pick (1)
- Round 2 pick (1)
- Round 3 pick (1)
- Round 4 pick (1)
- Round 5 pick (1)
- Round 6 pick (1)
- Round 7 pick (1)
2026 NFL Draft picks
- Round 1 pick (1)
- Round 2 pick (1)
- Round 3 pick (1)
- Round 4 pick (1)
- Round 5 pick (1)
- Round 6 pick (1)
- Round 7 pick (1)
2027 NFL Draft picks
- Round 1 pick (1)
- Round 2 pick (1)
- Round 3 pick (1)
- Round 4 pick (1)
- Round 5 pick (1)
- Round 6 pick (1)
- Round 7 pick (1)
Basically, the Bengals have all of their picks moving forward, which equates to one pick per round of the draft each year. Obviously, this could change as the Bengals could trade away some picks or potentially even acquire additional picks. Also, since picks are determined based on regular season results, we won't know exactly where Cincinnati's picks will fall in the future.