The Cincinnati Bengals got back into the win column in Week 16 with a blowout victory over the Quinn Ewers-led Dolphins. While it's fun to win games, the Bengals aren't going to make the playoffs so, at this point, fans would probably rather they continue to lose and get a better positioning for the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Considering that Bengals fans were hoping for the team to at least make the playoffs this season, if they're not going to do that, then a better draft pick is somewhat of a silver lining. So what would the first half of the draft look like if the season ended today?
Where would the Bengals pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft?
Number | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
1 | New York Giants | 2-13 |
2 | Las Vegas Raiders | 2-13 |
3 | Cleveland Browns | 3-12 |
4 | New York Jets | 3-12 |
5 | Arizona Cardinals | 3-12 |
6 | Tennessee Titans | 3-12 |
7 | Washington Commanders | 4-11 |
8 | New Orleans Saints | 5-10 |
9 | Cincinnati Bengals | 5-10 |
10 | Miami Dolphins | 6-9 |
11 | Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons) | 6-9 |
12 | Kansas City Chiefs | 6-9 |
13 | Dallas Cowboys | 6-8-1 |
14 | Baltimore Ravens | 7-8 |
15 | Minnesota Vikings | 7-8 |
16 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-8 |
17 | Detroit Lions | 8-7 |
18 | New York Jets (via Indianapolis Colts) | 8-6* |
If the 2026 NFL Draft took place right now, the Bengals would hold the ninth pick in the first round. It'd be their first time with a top 10 pick since 2021 when they held the fifth pick in the draft and opted to take Ja'Marr Chase despite many people thinking they'd have been better off taking Penei Sewell instead.
When you factor in that the Bengals finish the year against the underwhelming Cardinals and Browns (both of whom would pick ahead of Cincinnati right now), the chances of this team landing a top-10 pick when it's all said and done aren't high. They could end up with seven wins, which would probably put them around the halfway point of the first round.
Hopefully, wherever the Bengals land in the draft order, they can make the most of it. That's been partially to blame for their woes in recent years, as they've spent their last three first-round picks on Shemar Stewart, Amarius Mims, and Myles Murphy. Mims has been okay but the other two have not been the players the Bengals were expecting they'd be when they spent a first-round pick on them.
If the Bengals want to end their playoff-less streak, they have to make sure this first-round pick, wherever that might be in the 2026 draft, counts.