Now that we know the Cincinnati Bengals are picking 10th overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, it's worth diving into the top prospects among those who should be on the board when the good guys go on the clock.
And by good guys, I don't mean that Duke Tobin and the talent evaluators in Cincinnati are good at their jobs. It's more in the colloquial sense.
Anyway, let's hope Tobin and the powers that be are good at their jobs for once. Blowing this pick could be a cruel plot twist in an offseason Joe Burrow has labeled, and I quote, "as big as it gets."
Ranking top Bengals 2026 draft prospects with the No. 10 pick
5. Makai Lemon, WR, USC
Look, I'm fully aware that the Bengals already have Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins at wide receiver. I'm just saying, think about having an elite slot guy like USC's Makai Lemon added to the mix.
Lemon is an elite, polished route-runner who could develop and instant rapport with Burrow. His skill set would force defenses to account for him and change up how they play coverages against Ja'Marr and Tee.
Spend the rest of free agency and the draft loading up on defense. Get a pure slot pass-catcher whose production profile is nothing to sneeze at, as he averaged 3.13 yards per route run in 2025. Chase was 10th in the NFL this year at 2.23 YPRR.
Makai Lemon vs other slow slot receivers pic.twitter.com/veCQ2p86UT
— FSJames (@FantasyScape_) January 3, 2026
4. Lee Hunter, DL, Texas Tech
Some might say 330-pound nose tackles aren't worthy of a top-10 pick. Not the case when it comes to Texas Tech star Lee Hunter. Only recently has he emerged as a second-round-ish prospect, but I think Hunter will climb into the first round with ease come April.
The Bengals tend to like drafting players in the first round who don't have clear-cut, defined roles right away. Hunter would not only have a great crack at starting, but unlike most nose tackles, he has the athleticism and stamina to stay on the field for extended periods of time.
Playmakers at Hunter's size don't come along often. The other interior defensive line prospects don't really move me.
In the likely event that Clemson's Peter Woods is off the board, Hunter feels like a slam-dunk pick. Wide Left draft guru James Foster ranked Hunter as the top draft-eligible performer in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Link to the film breakdown is there.
3. Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
Prior to the Buckeyes' loss to Miami in the CFP, Sonny Styles hadn't missed a single tackle all season long. Given the tackling issues that plagued Bengals rookies Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter, I'd love to see Styles at the heart of Cincinnati's defense going forward.
Styles is one of those "don't overthink it" picks that the Bengals have an allergy to. Like when a far more productive pass rusher in James Pearce Jr. was staring them in the face last year, only for them to draft Shemar Stewart at 17th overall instead.
The 10th overall pick might be a bit rich for linebacker, since Cincinnati spent second- and fourth-round picks at the position in the 2025 draft. But hey, it'd be a nice admission by the front office that they got it dead-wrong, and aren't being too prideful to admit it.
It's hilarious, too, that Styles just turned 21 in late November and will be miles better than Knight (25) and Carter (23) when he first sets foot in an NFL locker room. Won't be particularly close, either.
2. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
As will be the case with Styles, the whole "positional value" argument comes into play re: Caleb Downs. What is his true position? Is a safety worthy of a top-10 pick?
To me, Downs can play anywhere. Nickel, dime, deep safety, box safety, boundary cornerback. Doesn't really matter. He's not so much a jack of all trades, master of none, as he is a master at multiple trades. That's why he is emphatically worth this gaudy draft status.
Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden loves versatility in the defensive backfield. Adding Downs to the mix with DJ Turner, Dax Hill, Jordan Battle, and hopefully-retained Jalen Davis could make for a formidable, nay elite, group.
Could Cincinnati follow Seattle's blueprint and not concern themselves with having too much of a good thing? Maybe!
Emmanwori’s impact will open up Caleb Downs top-5 discussions https://t.co/yQCpsiMZWn
— Steve Palazzolo (@StevePalazzolo_) January 4, 2026
We'll see how free agency goes, but whether or not the Bengals invest in an obvious Geno Stone upgrade, you can't rule out Downs as their guy.
1. David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech
Spending three of four picks on the defensive end position seems excessive. Myles Murphy took until his third season to come around, and Shemar Stewart had a rocky, injury-plagued go of it as a rookie.
But David Bailey has a rare knack for wreaking havoc on the opposing quarterback. The question is, will arbitrary measurement thresholds prevent him from being in a Bengals uniform?
On the topic of David Bailey and the Bengals, we don’t expect him to be an option.
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) December 31, 2025
The Bengals haven’t drafted a DE/EDGE under 265 pounds on Day 1/2 since Alfred Williams in 1991.
Bailey will likely be in the 245/250 range.
Their process is their process until it isn’t. https://t.co/KbRVDjthO3
The answer is "probably." I would still prefer Bailey above the rest, because that'd mean Joseph Ossai wouldn't be overpaid to stay, and that Cincinnati wouldn't be waging another contract battle with Trey Hendrickson this offseason.
Bailey is listed at 6'3", 250 pounds. He wound up with 14.5 sacks on the season and a 94.7 true pass set pass rush grade from PFF.
Who cares about the height and weight? The young man can flat-out play, and play early in the NFL at a high-value position. That's what Cincinnati desperately needs.