Bengals Land Double Big Board Values Across Two-Round 2026 Mock Draft

Cincinnati has the 10th and 41st picks across the opening two rounds.

The Cincinnati Bengals unveil new uniforms during a special event at Paul Brown Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Monday, April 19, 2021. The new designs marked the first major change to the team's main uniform in 17 years. New Bengals Uniforms | Sam Greene/The Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC

CINCINNATI — The Bengals landed their most popular draft fit in the latest two-round mock draft from The Athletic's Dane Brugler, who had Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with Cincinnati at Pick 10 and Missouri edge rusher Zion Young at Pick 41.

According to the Mock Draft Database's consensus big board, Downs is the best safety in the class and the seventh-best player overall. 

Playmakers Added

Nov 29, 2025; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Louisiana State Tigers cornerback Mansoor Delane (4) tackles Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Javonnie Gibson (11) during the first half at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

"Count the Bengals among several teams that generally don’t draft safeties early in the first round," Brugler wrote. "But Downs is different and will force front offices to rethink that stance. His intelligence, intangibles, and on-field impact immediately will make the other 10 defenders on the field that much better."

Meanwhile, Young is ranked 37th overall and seventh among edge rushers in the 2026 class. He'd be another young mauler to join the defensive front.

Both of them could be really fun new pieces for defensive coordinator Al Golden.

"I think we can, and just interviewing a lot of the guys the last couple of days, I can't get into names, whatever, but just really impressed with a lot of them and the recall of their systems, and that's the most important thing," Golden said last month. "It's not really a function of what you teach them or what you know; it's a function of how well they recall their systems, what nuances, what concepts they can relate to the big picture, and how well they communicate that. And it's been exciting to go through that process with a lot of these guys and just a lot of really, really good young talent that we've met."

Catch the full mock draft here.

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