The Cincinnati Bengals' new season has barely begun, but those of us who are sickos about the NFL Draft know it's never too soon to dive into a potential mock draft scenario based on the early returns from this year.
Although Cincinnati is off to an unprecedented 2-0 start under head coach Zac Taylor, there's plenty of room to improve across the board. We still have a long 2025 campaign to see how the Bengals shape up with Joe Burrow missing almost the entire year. Not to mention, there's no telling where they'll pick when the 2026 NFL Draft rolls around next April.
Big boards have barely been cracked. The availability of players is subject to change drastically between now and the draft based on how the college football season shakes out as well. Nevertheless, here's an admittedly way too early, three-round 2026 Bengals mock draft, courtesy of PFF's simulator. Advanced stats come via PFF's big board, too.
2026 3-round Cincinnati Bengals mock draft goes big on defense
Round 1, Pick 23: Darrell Jackson Jr., DL, Florida State
The Bengals' interior pass rush is an ongoing issue. Somebody must step up to aid Trey Hendrickson in applying pressure to the opposing quarterback. No guarantee that Darrell Jackson Jr. would accomplish that feat, but the 337-pounder registered 3.5 official sacks (five by PFF's count) and 23 hurries during the 2024 season. He is a force to be reckoned with to say the least.
Last year's third-round pick, the unrelated McKinnley Jackson, was a healthy scratch for the first two weeks. The depth at defensive tackle, particularly when it comes to someone who can line up at nose tackle, is limited to TJ Slaton. That's where Darrell Jackson Jr. could really help Cincinnati.
Jackson's blend of sheer size and such a promising pass rushing profile makes me bullish on his ceiling as a pro. Time will tell if he can back up his stellar prior season with another exceptional effort in 2025.
Round 2, Pick 55: Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
I often get a good chuckle out of high school recruits who tend to embellish their accomplishments or exaggerate their workout numbers. When it comes to Dillon Thieneman, though, he had a laser-timed 4.36-second 40-yard dash back in 2022 as a high schooler. The young man can move.
Sometimes workout speed doesn't translate to the field. Not the case for Thieneman, who exploded onto the scene as a freshman at Purdue two years ago with six interceptions. He racked up over 100 combined tackles in each of his couple seasons for the Boilermakers before transferring to Oregon.
Thieneman would provide the Bengals with a versatile, explosive athlete on the back end. Among all those tackles he racked up at Purdue, his missed tackle rate was only 12.9% on 231 attempts. For a little context, Chargers superstar Derwin James is at 10.5% for his NFL career. Lions star Brian Branch is at 11.5%.
We'll see how Thieneman fares in Eugene this season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him work his way into the first-round conversation come April. Would love for Cincinnati to scoop him up in one of the first two rounds, especially as Geno Stone prepares to hit free agency.
Round 3, Pick 87: Joshua Josephs, EDGE, Tennessee
Joshua Josephs had to to scrap for pass rush production at Tennessee in recent years while Atlanta Faclons first-round pick James Pearce Jr. wreaked havoc on the SEC. Now that Pearce is in the pros, Josephs is filling the void in a big way for the Volunteers.
Armed with an 82-inch wingspan and elite explosiveness out of his stance, Josephs boasted a 93.0 PFF pass rush grade on true pass sets entering Saturday's college football actiona, recording three sacks already. He'd managed only two sacks in 2024 and three the season before.
Although Josephs a little lighter by NFL edge defender standards at 240 pounds, he appears to play much stronger than that, and makes up for it with his athelticism.
Given that Hendrickson is on a collision course for more contract drama in the 2026 offseason, and the Bengals' latest first-round pick Shemar Stewart is out for Week 3 with an injury, the future of Cincinnati's defensive end position looks murky at the minute. Josephs is an ideal Day 2 target who could be long gone by the 87th pick when the real draft happens if he keeps up his hot start.
Obviously, this Bengals mock draft means they'll have to spend other resources to upgrade their perpetually embattled offensive line. Whether it's building depth in later rounds or splurging in free agency, the overarching assumption here is they'll make sure that unit has proven, reliable players in place as opposed to counting too much on their 2026 rookie class to protect Burrow.