Bengals Split Latest 2026 Mock Draft Haul on Offense and Defense

CINCINNATI — The NFL Draft is less than a month away as more mock drafts flow from NFL.com. Writer Chad Reuter dropped a new four-round exercise this past week.

He had the Bengals rolling with LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane in Round 1.

"The Bengals grab Delane for his top-10-worthy coverage skills. Dax Hill can stay in the slot, while Delane and DJ Turner II hold down the outside," Reuter wrote.

According to the Mock Draft Database's consensus big board, Delane is ranked first among cornerbacks and 11th overall.

A Little Defense, A Little Offense

Sep 27, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin talks with LSU Tigers cornerback Mansoor Delane (4) during the second quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Next, Cincinnati picked Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at Pick 41.

He is ranked third among safeties and 25th on the consensus big board.

At Pick 72, Cincinnati took Texas A&M center Trey Zuhn III. He is ranked 144th on the consensus big board. The final pick in this four-round mock landed at Pick 110 with Connecticut wide receiver Skyler Bell.

He is ranked 85th on the consensus big board and 14th among wide receivers.

It's a split draft haul for a Bengals team that still has holes on defense.

Director of player personnel Duke Tobin sounded excited to attack the draft challenge at last month's NFL Combine.

“You want guys that play football well, but you want guys that can play NFL football well," Tobin said about the importance of physical draft traits. "And those traits are what drive a lot of really great players. And we do like guys that are big enough, fast enough, strong enough. You have to have those things. You can't just have desire. Desire with no physical traits.

"You're gonna be doing my job, and you're not gonna be playing NFL football for us. But there's a marriage between the two. Young guys like those two that you mentioned have a lot of future in front of them. And so we wanna build that future with them. And we believe that that'll be a really positive future.”

Check out the full mock draft from Reuter here.

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