Cincinnati Bengals: 2026 NFL Draft Grades

The Cincinnati Bengals and their offseason was immediately defined by the aggressive trade for Dexter Lawrence prior to the 2026 NFL draft. It was a move that was somewhat surprising given the organization’s historical hesitation to consistently pay top-end veteran talent. Meanwhile, their draft class featured a mix of intriguing developmental additions and questionable value selections, creating a fairly uneven overall group. There are several players who fit long-term needs and offer upside, but inconsistency in both projection and draft value ultimately keeps this class in the middle tier.

Cincinnati Bengals: 2026 NFL Draft Class Overview

Draft Pick Selections

Round 2 | Pick 41 Overall

Cashius Howell | Edge | Texas A&M

Cincinnati continues to invest heavily along the edge after previous swings on players like Myles Murphy and Shemar Stewart have yet to fully deliver expected returns.

Cashius Howell wins differently than many traditional NFL edge rushers, relying more on burst, pass-rush instincts, and technical ability than prototypical size or length. His undersized frame and shorter arms create legitimate questions about whether he can consistently win against NFL-caliber tackles, but his pass-rush ability gives him a strong floor as a designated pressure specialist.

Round 3  | Pick 72 Overall

Tacario Davis | Corner | Washington

Davis is one of the more difficult evaluations in the class due to the volatility present throughout his film. There are flashes of high-level traits and competitive coverage ability. However, the inconsistency from snap to snap remains concerning. For a player who carried more of a Day 3 grade for me, the value feels aggressive at this point in the draft and introduces significant risk.

Round 4 | Pick 128 Overall

Connor Lew | Center | Auburn

One of the stronger selections in Cincinnati’s class and a player with a legitimate pathway toward becoming the team’s long-term starting center. Lew brings intelligence, movement ability, and strong positional flexibility while consistently showing the ability to operate effectively in both the run and pass game. The primary concern centers around anchor strength against power, particularly while continuing to recover from ACL surgery. However, the overall value and projection makes him an outstanding addition in day 3 who carried a day 2 grade for me.

Round 4 | Pick 140 Overall

Colby Young | Wide Receiver | Georgia

Young offers intriguing size and catch-radius traits as a developmental outside receiver. Yet, the fit and timing of the selection are somewhat questionable given Cincinnati’s existing receiver depth. While there is upside as a rotational boundary target, this felt more like a luxury addition than a direct roster necessity. The value itself is still a slight reach, but the positional allocation raises even more debate.

Round 6 | Pick 189 Overall

Brian Parker II | Guard | Duke

Although Parker played tackle in college, his long-term NFL projection appears significantly cleaner on the interior. He offers versatility and emergency tackle flexibility, but guard is where his physical profile and play style should translate best. Cincinnati adds a developmental lineman with starting upside inside and useful depth flexibility across the offensive front.

Round 7 | Pick 221 Overall

Jack Endries | Tight End | Texas

Jack Endries was highly productive earlier in his career at Cal before transferring to Texas, where the overall impact did not fully match expectations. He still offers receiving upside as a moving tight end with dependable hands and route-running feel underneath. At this stage of the draft, Cincinnati is betting on pass-game utility and developmental offensive depth with Mike Gesicki starting to age.

Round 7 | Pick 226 Overall

Landon Robinson | Interior Defensive Line | Navy

Landon Robinson is an intriguing developmental defensive lineman with more upside than typical late seventh-round selections. Navy utilized him heavily as a nose tackle, though that likely will not be his ideal role at the NFL level. With continued development, he has the tools to eventually carve out a role as a rotational interior defender capable of contributing across multiple alignments.

Best Value Pick — Conner Lew | Center | Auburn

Lew represents one of the cleaner value selections in Cincinnati’s class and addresses a long-term need along the interior offensive line. His athletic profile, intelligence, and overall positional projection give him a strong opportunity to eventually develop into a starting-caliber center for the Bengals.

Biggest Question Mark — Tacario Davis | Corner | Washington

The concern with Davis revolves almost entirely around consistency. While there are flashes of starting-level traits on film, the down-to-down volatility creates significant projection risk relative to where he was selected. For a player viewed more as a Day 3 prospect in this evaluation, the value simply felt too aggressive.

Final Thoughts

This draft class feels uneven. Connor Lew and Brian Parker II provide quality offensive line value which was desperately needed to keep star quarterback Joe Burrow upright. Meanwhile, Cashius Howell gives Cincinnati another rotational pass-rush piece with upside, though I felt he was taken slightly early. However, several selections felt aggressive relative to my grades.

Adding Dexter Lawrence was a big win, but I didn’t want to factor that into my grade as I wanted to stick to how well I felt the Bengals used the picks they did have left. Overall, usage of draft capital was fairly average with a mix of value at positions of need, but a few curious choices as well.

Final Draft Grade: C