The Cincinnati Bengals own the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and while it's vital that they nail that premium selection, they should have some good options once they go on the clock. To the point where even Duke Tobin and his underlings can't mess it up too badly.
A particular struggle in recent years is finding rookies who are ready to play right away, and play at a high level. Every other team seems to find them. The Bengals don't. Hence three straight years with zero playoff games.
Cincinnati has indeed put on a disaster class in the draft for most of the last half-decade. Can the front office get it together and build a competent roster around Joe Burrow?
We'll all find out together once the new season hits in September. So far away. Ugh.
No really though, we'll have a good idea about how things may shake out once free agency and the draft pass. So let's size up some ideal targets for the second, third, and fourth rounds of the draft.
Top Bengals targets from Rounds 2-4 of 2026 NFL Draft who'd provide instant spark
Round 2 — Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech (Pick: 41 / Early Big Board: 25)
Full disclosure. After the National Championship Game, I had Miami defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. here. Started getting all hot and bothered about drafting Clemson DT Peter Woods at No. 10 and adding Moten in Round 2. Talk about a dream tandem on the interior d-line for Cincinnati.
As some hockey coaches once said to Happy Gilmore, "Well, better luck next year!" Because yeah, Moten is going back to The U. It eludes me as to why. He's a legit first-round talent.
We're sticking with the same position here, however, and a player on a similarly-stacked defensive front in Texas Tech's Lee Hunter. He's averaged over 51 combined tackles in the last three seasons. Tell me the last time you saw that type of production and finishing ability from a 330-pounder. I can't recall someone that size being in on that many plays.
Only so many players can be drafted in the first round. It's a pretty loaded defensive tackle class. Miami EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. is a likely top-10 pick. Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza said in a postgame interview after winning the natty that the Canes' Akheem Mesidor is going Day 1.
An oft-mocked 10th pick to the Bengals is Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey. I don't think he'll be there when Cincinnati goes on the clock, nor would he be drafted if he was. It'd make too much sense. Bailey's fellow Red Raider terror off the edge, Romello Height, should go somewhere in the first two rounds. D-tackle Skyler Gill-Howard will likely be drafted, too.
Now how about this? Among nose tackles over 320 pounds, Lee Hunter had the most pressures (53) over the last two seasons (h/t CBS Sports' Ben Fennell) — more than Florida State's Darrell Jackson Jr. (44) and Moten (41).
Hunter's 6.5 sacks across two years at UCF and in 2025 at Texas Tech when he began in a full-time starting role were more than Shemar Stewart averaged in three seasons at Texas A&M for his 4.5 total. Hope that didn't hurt any feelings.
I mean shoot, if the Bengals double-dipped at defensive tackle with Peter Woods and Hunter instead, I'd be over the moon. That much size, power, and athleticism is the stuff of dreams. A Woods-Hunter d-tackle tandem would help a lackluster linebacker corps get its act together, and complement the Bengals' underrated secondary so well.
Read More: Bengals pull the plug on $64 million experiment in 7-round 2026 mock draft
Round 3 — Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia (Pick: 72 / Early Big Board: 46)
Jermaine Burton was a bust. Andrei Iosivas doesn't look like a legit WR3. Mitchell Tinsley didn't really make the most of his opportunities this past season to wrest that role away from Yoshi.
Enter: Ex-USC and Georgia wide receiver Zachariah Branch. The man's stock continues to go up as the draft gets closer, probably thanks to plays like this that showcase his elite burst, change of direction, and raw speed:
ZACHARIAH BRANCH HIT THE SIU AFTER THE TD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YWZZLAg0cb
— ESPN (@espn) December 7, 2025
Georgia wasn't some juggernaut of an aerial attack. Much more of a "run the ball, play defense" philosophy in Athens for head coach Kirby Smart. Branch was a glorified extension of the run game, ranking second in the country with 44 of his 81 receptions coming on screens.
Just think about what a shifty slot guy like Branch could do when flanked by Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the perimeter. Not to mention a tight end like Mike Gesicki who can stretch the seam and give Branch all kinds of room to operate underneath.
Get Joe Burrow into some 3x1 formations with that full lineup, give Branch a bona fide NFL route tree, and enjoy how many more levels this Bengals offense can go.
Round 3 might feel a little early for the Bengals to spring for another receiver. Not if it's Zachariah Branch.
Round 4 — Nadame Tucker, EDGE, Western Michigan (Pick: 110 / Early Big Board: 71)
Some prospects around this time of year explode onto the NFL Draft radar. Western Michigan's Nadame Tucker is one of them. After a few years of action at the University of Houston with few reps, Tucker decided he wanted some MACtion, and did he ever get it.
Fifty-five combined tackles (21 tackles for loss), 14 sacks, and four forced fumbles later, and Tucker is on his way to Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl.
Oh by the way, look at whose production profile Tucker's matches up with best. The Bengals' soon-to-be-gone superstar Trey Hendrickson.
Western Michigan EDGE Nadame Tucker has been amongst the best pass rushers in the country in 2025. His production numbers as a G5 prospect put him in close comparison with former Florida Atlantic EDGE Trey Hendrickson. If he tests well, Tucker is a name to watch out for in the… pic.twitter.com/jpKJqFWTSX
— Adam Carter (@impactfbdata) November 25, 2025
Obviously there's a jump in competition for Tucker to navigate. However, being that dominant and athletic should translate to the NFL right away as a designated pass rusher. That's all the Bengals need him for as a rookie. That'd be a home run of a pick in the fourth round.
Unless Stewart or whichever veteran Cincinnati (hopefully) signs in free agency can't hack it as a starter opposite Myles Murphy. Then maybe Tucker will be counted on for more. In any event, what a get he'd be to help a defensive end room that's bound to lose Hendrickson, Joseph Ossai, and Cam Sample. I bet Tucker would produce a few sacks and some key pressures if called upon.
As for Branch and Moten, they for sure have the chops to step in and start right away.
Branch may fall because of his size. Moten may be viewed as a byproduct of Bain and Mesidor to slide into the early Day 2 range. That's where the Bengals could really capitalize and catapult this roster forward for a return to the playoff next season.