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Bengals Select Athletic Defender in 2026 Post-NFL Combine Mock Draft

Cincinnati holds the 10th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Russell Heltman|
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
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

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Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI — NFL.com's Lance Zierlein dropped his latest NFL mock draft this week, and he had the Bengals picking a linebacker at No. 10.

Ohio State's Sonny Styles landed with Cincinnati.

"Styles is an explosive athlete with elite traits and three-down talent to impact the game as a rusher, run defender, and cover man," Zierlein wrote.

According to the Mock Draft Database, Styles is ranked 10th on the consensus big board and first among off-ball linebackers. Arvell Reese is listed as a linebacker, but he's going to play on the edge in the NFL.

Sonny Styles
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

Cincinnati is in the market for all kinds of defensive help after giving up the most yards per play in the NFL last season.

"Yeah, I think again. I love where we're at attacking this offseason, and that won't (change)," defensive coordinator Al Golden said about his defense rising to meet the offense last week. "That statement you just made won't change. And we have to rise to that standard. We have to continue to improve, do whatever we can to support those guys and be good enough to finish a game, to win a game.

"And that's going to take the collective, it's not going to just be one guy in free agency or one guy in the draft, to be honest with you. So it's going to be the confluence of the scheme, the leadership, the pieces we add in this offseason, combined with the guys who made a lot of progress at the end of last year and are coming into this offseason with a lot of, like I said, a lot of energy, a lot of synergy and a lot of confidence."

Check out the full mock draft from Zierlein here.

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Russ Heltman
RUSSELL HELTMAN

Russ Heltman is on the Bearcats and Bengals beat for On SI. 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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