Top Bengals draft prospects make bold statements Duke Tobin cannot ignore

The 2026 NFL Draft feels like it's hard to mess up even for Duke Tobin and the Cincinnati Bengals' resource-deficient scouting department.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is all but certain to be the No. 1 overall pick. Although there are no other QBs to knock other top prospects down the draft board, the Bengals should still be sitting pretty when they go on the clock with the 10th overall pick in April.

Now that the NFL Scouting Combine is rolling in Indianapolis, some of the top prospects are starting to speak out. And a couple of Cincinnati's prime draft targets sent some strong messages on Wednesday.

Sonny Styles & Rueben Bain Jr. confirm Combine visits with Bengals & why they're in the mix for 10th overall pick

I'm definitely of the mindset that the Bengals should draft Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles. I could also be into Miami Hurricanes pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. despite his lack of desired arm length.

Bain's arms have yet to be measured on the record in Indy. Styles is expected to light up his workout when he hits the field on Thursday. But until then, both Styles and Bain provided plenty of headlines for Who Dey Nation to get excited about.

Thanks to his background in former NFL head coach Matt Patricia's complex scheme, Styles made sure to highlight how smart of a football player he is when holding court with the media.

As for Bain, well, this man is all about ball and not much else.

It's one thing for these guys to publicly project these mindsets. It's another to 100% back it up and then some when you turn on their game film.

Styles missed zero tackles for the entire 2025 season before the Buckeyes' College Football Playoff loss to Mendoza's Hoosiers. He's a better player today than Bengals incumbents Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter. It's not close at all.

Bain is a monster off the edge. Sets violent edges versus the run. Relentless in his pursuit of the opposing QB. Converts speed to power as well as anyone in this class. He had 9.5 sacks last year, and ranked second nationally with 68 QB pressures.

How Bengals might have their choice between Sonny Styles & Rueben Bain Jr. in Round 1

What's bonkers is, the Bengals could have to decide between Bain and Styles with the 10th pick. Mendoza is a lock at No. 1. Ohio State's Arvell Reese is garnering comparisons to Micah Parsons as an off-ball linebacker who could transition to be an elite edge defender. Texas Tech star David Bailey has more explosiveness and traditional length than Bain, which could push him up the board.

Then there's the possibility of as many as three wide receivers being drafted in the top 10 in Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Makai Lemon (USC), and Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State). Plus, highly regarded boundary cornerbacks, LSU's Mansoor Delane and Tennessee's Jermod McCoy, could sneak their way into the first nine picks

The Bengals have DJ Turner and Dax Hill as outside corners. They have an elite receiver duo in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. If you knock off Mendoza, Reese, Bailey, and, say, two of the five other players in that last paragraph, that leaves only four picks before Cincinnati at No. 10.

Two more studs to account for: Another Ohio State product in safety Caleb Downs, and possibly generational Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. Downs is the crown jewel many Who Dey Heads long for. Love would join Chase Brown and give Cincy the NFL's best backfield duo.

I'd be cool with Downs or Love to the Bengals. Much of their stock depends on the positional value argument. That principle applies to Styles to some degree, too.

Again, I just don't see many bad outcomes for Cincinnati, no matter how incompetent Duke and his minions appear to be. Check out how my big board stacks up, consider my analysis of the top of the draft herein, and join me in my cautious optimism, whether we get Bain or Styles or someone else!