With the Cincinnati Bengals trading the 10th overall pick to the New York Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, their first selection is now scheduled to come at No. 41 overall during Friday's second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Even with not having a top-40 pick, the Bengals can still come away with a productive and potentially impactful player at No. 41 if the board falls their way and they play their cards right. As we go into the draft, here are some names that should be on the Bengals board when they finally get on the clock on Friday.
Going to state now that this board will have plenty of linebackers on it. The Bengals clearly need an upgrade at the linebacker position and there is a good chance they will hit on the position with their first pick.
We'll start with Jacob Rodriguez of Texas Tech, who was the "quarterback of the defense" for the Red Raiders, averaging 127 tackles over the last two seasons with 21.5 total tackles for a loss. Rodriguez's stock jumped even more following a strong week at the Senior Bowl. At 6'0" and 233 pounds, he may not have the best size for a linebacker, but he will be one of the more athletic linebackers in this class. His ability to stick his nose in and make plays should be very enticing for defensive coordinator Al Golden.
Allen became a starter as a true freshman for head coach Kirby Smart and got better each season. He would go on to start 30 games for Georgia and appear in 41 games. He recorded 41, 76 and 88 tackles in his three seasons, respectively, and totaled 13.5 tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks (eight TFLs and 3.5 sacks in 2025). He has similar size to Rodriguez (six feet, 3/8 of an inch and 233 pounds) and also has a nose for the football with his ability to key and diagnose. Another potential Day 1 starter inside.
One more linebacker, at least for now, and it's a prospect right in the Bengals' backyard, at least in terms of where he went to school.
Cincinnati's Jake Golday could be a surprise pick, or a potential pick if the Bengals somehow decide to trade down from No. 41. He played two years at Cincinnati following three years at Central Arkansas. In his two years at Cincinnati, he started 20 games, with his best season coming in 2025. He started 12 games and racked up 105 tackles, six tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks with one forced fumble and three passes defended. He was named First-Team All-Big 12. He has room to develop, but can move around the field and showed he can work in space against the pass. An interesting note, courtesy of The Athletic's Dane Brugler in his Beast draft guide: Golday hasn't committed a penalty since 2021.
Edge defender should also be on the table for the Bengals and they could choose to take a versatile defensive lineman in this class in Illinois' Gabe Jacas. He worked in multiple spots down in Mobile, Alabama at the Senior Bowl. Jacas was highly productive while at Illinois. Jacas posted tackles for loss totals of 13 in 2024 and 13.5 in 2025. For his career, he started in 50 games and started 43. He totaled 183 tackles, 35.5 tackles for a loss, 27 sacks (second-most in school history) and seven forced fumbles.
The Bengals are trying to find a fit at the nickel cornerback spot. Could Scott be that fit? Scott posted a blazing 4.33 40-yard dash at Miami's Pro Day and his speed and strong play showed up during Miami's run through the College Football Playoffs. Scott would also provide plenty of special-teams value, making him a player that would be very tough to keep off the field.
Lawrence has gone from a potential Day 2 sleeper to a sneaky late-first-round possibility. While he isn't quite stout against the run, he is quick off the ball in pass-rush situations and just gets after the quarterback. In the last three seasons, Lawrence totaled 19.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for a loss. He was named First-Team All-Big 12 in 2025. There is some projection with Lawrence, but nearly as much as 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart and the pick would be much later than No. 17 overall.
One more linebacker to talk about here and that's Anthony Hill Jr of Texas. Hill brings good size (6'2, almost 240 pounds) and he ran a 4.51 40 at the Scouting Combine. He was a key piece of Texas' defense during their run to the College Football Playoff semifinals in the 2024 season. He started all 16 games for the Longhorns, racking up 113 tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss and eight sacks. In 2025, he played in ten games (missed final two games with a left hand injury) and posted 69 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and four sacks.
Stukes has experience all over the secondary, having played in the nickel, outside cornerback and safety during his three years at Arizona. He best projects as a nickel but his versatility could allow him to play outside if the Bengals want to experiment with moving Dax Hill back inside and putting Stukes outside. More likely, Stukes would play inside where he can help both in the pass and against the run.
People are going to quickly knock Ponds because of his size (5'8", 180 pounds). Ponds is set to prove he can overcome his size. Look no further than his performance during Indiana's National Championship run, including his pick-six just ten seconds into the Peach Bowl semifinal against Oregon. He also allowed just one reception in the championship game against Miami. Ponds totaled 36 passes defended and seven interceptions in three seasons between Indiana and James Madison. Ponds did well to follow head coach Curt Cignetti from JMU to Bloomington. Perhaps his next step could be Cincinnati.
A lot of defensive players on this board, and for good reason. We'll throw in an interior offensive lineman here for good measure. Rutledge does have injury concerns, but is powerful in the run game (Dane Brugler notes Rutledge models his finishing toughness after Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz) and has shown to be strong against the pass. He did not miss a game in the last two seasons. Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key called Rutledge "the toughest player I have coached (H/T Brugler). He has mostly played guard but has been working at center during the pre-draft process. If the Bengals believe he can be the future center, he can develop for a year and get healthy while working behind Ted Karras, who is a free agent after the season.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: 10 Round 2 options for Bengals in NFL draft