Top sleeper first-round draft targets Bengals fans should clock at NFL Combine

The last time a major Joe Burrow injury led to a losing season for the Cincinnati Bengals was his rookie year. That "earned" them the right to draft Ja'Marr Chase in 2021, reuniting him with his college quarterback to spark a run to Super Bowl LVI.

Bengals personnel chief Duke Tobin had a dreadful remainder of that 2021 class, which is history all of Who Dey Nation hopes doesn't repeat a half-decade later this April.

In what's widely viewed as a rather weak draft class, with 2027's group looking far rosier, perhaps Cincinnati tries to trade back from the 10th overall pick. There's a good chance a lot of the premier prospects the Bengals want will be off the board by the time they're on the clock.

Here are a few prospects attending the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis who could really help the Bengals in the event that they trade back.

Kayden McDonald is the run-stopping force Bengals could really use

In a three-round mock draft from last month, I had Cincinnati moving down from 10th to 23rd overall in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. That would net the Bengals a 2027 second-rounder, plus the 68th pick in this year's draft.

Relevant to raise here because my choice at No. 23 was Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald. NFL.com draft guru Lance Zierlein's pro player comparison for McDonald is none other than beloved ex-Bengal D.J. Reader.

My colleague Marcus Mosher has a good frame of reference for McDonald's prowess as a run defender in last year's 13th overall pick, Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Kenneth Grant:

While a reunion with Reader in free agency would be dope, McDonald is a longer-term solution to be Cincinnati's nose tackle of the future. He'd be very useful for the Bengals' reigning league-worst run defense that conceded 147 yards per game.

Although he doesn't have Reader's pass rushing juice to this point in his career, there's no question that McDonald is a sensational run-stopper. His PFF grade versus the run last year was 91.2, with a 13.8% run stop rate.

Elder statesman Akheem Mesidor is plug-and-play ready at defensive end

The only real knock on Miami Hurricanes defensive end Akheem Mesidor is his age. I could not care less. Watch his tape. Watch how he tests in Indy. Tell me that ain't a first-round DUDE.

It's one thing to overdraft an older prospect who's a fringe starter at a non-premium position. Courtesy of Demetrius Knight Jr., that approach burned Cincinnati last year in Round 2. Mesidor is way different, built different, and Knight's situation should have nothing to do with him.

A monster 2025 campaign saw Mesidor log 12.5 sacks and 63 combined tackles. He had a 94.2 PFF pass rush grade in true pass sets and a 20.8% win rate overall.

So yeah. Despite the fact that Mesidor turns 25 in April, he's more capable of starting in the NFL than 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart. Let Shemar be the strong rotational run defender. Mesidor has very real collegiate production. An advanced pass rush plan. The ability to actually finish plays.

The Bengals don't have time for their first-rounders to have one full "developmental" season. It's about immediate impact. Mesidor's age will knock him down many draft boards. Especially if Cincinnati trades down, they can't afford to pass him up.

Swiss Army Knife safety Dillon Thieneman is a fine Caleb Downs alternative

Many fans are desperate for Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. I hear that, and I'm with it 100%. Cincinnati's defense badly needs an upgrade over Geno Stone in the secondary, and Downs is Him. My No. 1 big board player heading into the Combine.

...But hope is not a strategy the Bengals can bank on. Some team in the top nine picks is bound to snap out of this "positional value" trance narrative, and select Downs. He's just that good.

Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman is the next-best thing. His name is starting to creep up as a first-round-caliber prospect.

Thieneman has the versatility to play in the slot and at deep safety, but he's most often in the box. Playing the nickel isn't as necessary now that Jalen Davis is back in the fold for the Bengals, but Davis could be gone after the 2026 season.

To stay on topic with Thieneman, he has a high football IQ, implied by the multiple positions he can play. Sticky in coverage. A sure tackler who can lay the wood in run defense.

If he comes close to matching his publicly-shared workout numbers at the Combine, look for Thieneman's draft stock to soar.

And honestly? The Bengals could draft him with the 10th pick and I wouldn't be mad about it.