With their first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals made a stunning move when they traded it for New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. That meant Bengals fans had a nice, relaxing first night of the draft as they got to sit back and watch, knowing the team already added an elite player.
For Day 2, the pressure is back on, as the Bengals have needs at CB, LB, DE, and a need for depth at several other positions. So with that said, let’s mock Day 2 of the NFL Draft for the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Bengals have a need at cornerback with Cam Taylor-Britt leaving in free agency and no major additions to the room. To start 2025, Dax Hill started at slot cornerback, but he eventually moved outside and actually played better there, so getting a cornerback with slot skills would make a lot of sense for the Bengals.
Stukes is an older prospect, which they haven’t shied away from in the past. He is also a versatile player; being primarily a slot corner at 6-foot-1 is rare, but he also has experience playing outside and has even played more of a safety role in the past. The Bengals would value his versatility and elite athleticism, which would allow them to deploy a variety of looks.
Hill is a linebacker who, at one point, was in the first-round conversation, yet despite that and good testing results, he has seemingly been slowly sliding down boards since the season ended. It still seems more on the unlikely side that he could slide to the Bengals’ pick in the third round, but all it takes is a few surprise linebackers going ahead of him, and he could be available here.
Another young, talented linebacker was added to the room, and Hill is well acquainted with playing a heavy blitzing role, which would be welcome as a player who could really add versatility to the Bengals defensive fronts.
In the end, there are a lot of great options for the Bengals’ Day 2 picks. Outside of the players mentioned, the Bengals could take a swing at the top ten talent with the concerning injury in Jermod McCoy.
They could also take the stud smaller corner in D’Angelo Ponds, Round 2 linebackers like Jacob Rodriguez or CJ Allen, or even a pass rusher like Cashius Howell or R Mason Thomas.
The Bengals will have a lot of good options at 41; they just need to not go off the wall as they did for the Jackson Carman or Drew Sample picks. Stick close to the board, and the Bengals should get a great player at 41.