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Cincinnati Bearcats Football Lands Four Players On 2026 NFL Draft Midseason Big Board

Cincinnati will likely have multiple players drafted this coming April.
Russell Heltman|
Oct 18, 2025; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats tight end Joe Royer (11) runs the ball during the second half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
Oct 18, 2025; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats tight end Joe Royer (11) runs the ball during the second half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

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Cincinnati Bearcats

CINCINNATI — Pro Football Focus updated its 2026 NFL Draft big board this week, and four Bearcats players are now in the mix to get drafted as the team continues its run in the Big 12 at 6-1.

DT Dontay Corleone (64th), QB Brendan Sorsby (102nd), LB Jake Golday (108th), and TE Joe Royer (118th) all made the cut. Corleone has fallen off a bit this season compared to years past, but it hasn't hurt his draft stock in the eyes of PFF (67.9 PFF grade this season after 73.3 in 2024 and 83.3 in 2023).

Still, The Godfather is a key piece of the Big 12 Championship pursuit, along with all of the other stars. Sorsby has flown up the draft board thanks to his elite start to the season; he could easily end the season among the top 100.

“The culture that we've established, everybody understands our goal is to be in Dallas at the end of the year," Sorsby said last week. "Our goal isn't just to make it to a bowl game. The message is still the same, go 1-0 this week and just find a way to get better.”

The Texas native is the Big 12’s highest-rated QB by PFF (91.9) and Total ESPN QBR (85.0), ranking second (behind OSU’s Julian Sayin) and No. 7 nationally in the metrics. He has 23 total TDs (17 passing, six rushing) against just one turnover. The TDs accounted for are also among the nation's top-five numbers.

The goal is to score, and Sorsby is proving he can do that as well as any passer in the country amidst of a wide-open 2026 quarterback class. It will be interesting to see how he approaches his next step to the NFL.

Bookmark Bearcats Talk for the latest news, breakdowns, and so much more. Check out our YouTube page as well, starting with the video below.

Also, don't miss the podcast, Bearcat Blitz, wherever you get your shows!

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Russ Heltman
RUSSELL HELTMAN

Russ Heltman is a contributor for AllBearcats and AllBengals. He is the morning host and producer for 89.3 WMKV in Cincinnati, OH. Russ can be found on Twitter: @RussHeltman11 or you can reach him by email at Heltmandm@yahoo.com.

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