It’s never too early to start looking ahead to next year’s NFL draft, especially not for a team that has such clear and glaring needs like the Cincinnati Bengals. They’ve got enough firepower on offense to fuel two teams into playoff contention. Scoring points won’t be hard, but scoring more than the defense allows is the trouble that Cincinnati continues to face.
Even with the addition of defensive end Shemar Stewart, who finally signed his rookie deal, that side of the ball has plenty of needs. Lucky for Bengals fans, the 2026 NFL draft should be stuffed to the gills with defensive firepower, and that’s exactly what the Bengals get in this early 7-round 2026 NFL mock draft from Pro Football Network.
Writing for PFN, draft analyst Jacob Infante sends the Bengals the following draft class:
- Round 1: Caleb Banks – Defensive Tackle, Florida
- Round 2: Mansoor Delane – Cornerback, LSU
- Round 3: Mikail Kamara – Defensive End, Indiana
- Round 4: Xavier Chaplin – Offensive Tackle, Auburn
- Round 5: Jeremiah Cooper – Safety, Iowa State
- Round 6: Dean Connors – Running Back, Houston
- Round 7: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren – Safety, Toledo
Getting Banks that late in the first round (No. 26 in this mock draft) would be a fantastic pick. In his first year at Florida, Banks broke out with 4.5 sacks as a defensive tackle, which would give Cincinnati the kind of pass rushing acumen they need in the middle of the line. As for Delane, he could very well play his way into the first round, but Cincinnati would sure love to have his size and instincts in the secondary. Finally, Kamara would be an excellent depth piece for the Bengals, especially if a big contract gets done with Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart can meet the expectations of a first-round pick.
The 2026 NFL draft is still far off and a lot can change between now and next April. The one thing that won’t likely change, however, is Cincinnati’s needs on defense. Bengals fans should get familiar with these names, along with a few others, as the 2025 college football season gets started.
