Bengals May Suddenly Be in Position to Trade Up in 2026 NFL Draft

The Cincinnati Bengals need to hit the jackpot with the upcoming NFL draft. They currently hold the No. 10 pick and the No. 41 pick in the first and second rounds of the draft. Both of these selections need to net the Bengals some impact starters, preferably on defense.

There are multiple players who could make a lot of sense for the Bengals at pick No. 10. The top four players they've been connected to are Mansoor Delane, Jermod McCoy, Caleb Downs, and Rueben Bain Jr. All four of these players could be available at pick No. 10. In fact, there's a chance that three of these four defensive players are on the board for the Bengals. But Cincinnati could also look to move up to land an even better defensive player.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer recently reported that there were multiple teams ahead of the Bengals who are looking to trade down in the NFL draft this season.

Bengals Could Look to Trade Up in the 2026 NFL Draft

Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin speaks at the 2026 NFL Combine in Indianapolis. | Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Teams picking behind the Jets are looking to move down," Breer wrote. "Count the Cardinals, Titans, Giants, Browns and Commanders among those already looking at trying to drop down in the order to accumulate capital. The problem for those five is finding teams to move up."

Trading up in the draft is typically very expensive. Last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars gave up a bevy of picks to move up a few slots for Travis Hunter. But this year, the Bengals might not need to give up as much to move up.

The Bengals are in a position of power in this situation. There are multiple teams looking to trade down. There are only a few teams willing to trade up, it seems. That means the teams looking to trade down are more likely to get desperate and accept less than the typical asking price because they hold less leverage. The Bengals, on the other hand, have four or five teams they could go to in an attempt to trade up.

Who Could The Bengals Target?

Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles (LB25) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There are plenty of players the Bengals could target in a trade up scenario.

The New York Jets are expected to draft an impact edge rusher, either Arvell Reese or David Bailey, at pick No. 2. The Bengals could trade up to pick No. 3 and select whichever edge rusher the Jets pass up on.

They could trade up to select running back Jeremiyah Love if they believe he's a generational talent.

Sonny Styles is the perfect fit for Cincinnati, too. The Bengals need to add a linebacker, and Styles has the ability to be a franchise cornerstone.

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