Best-Case Draft Scenario Revealed For Bengals Opening Two 2026 Picks

NFL.com's Eric Edholm dropped his top ideal draft starts for each NFL team this week. The opening two rounds could breed a pair of stars for Cincinnati among their top-10 picks if they nail things right.

Edholm views Ohio State's Caleb Downs and Clemson's Peter Woods as Cincinnati's best start possible.

Potentially Elite Options

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Caleb Downs catches a ball during Pro Day for NFL scouts at the Woody Hayes Athletics Center on March 25, 2026. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

He had Downs going to them at Pick 10 and Woods at Pick 41.

"This would pretty much be a dream scenario," Edholm wrote last week. "Who knows if Downs is even available for the Bengals at 10, or if Woods could somehow make it all the way to 41? But there were good defensive options beyond those two for Cincinnati in both slots. Pairing Downs with free agent Bryan Cook would give the Bengals the most upgraded safety room in the league, and landing Woods would prevent them from having to sign a veteran inside. I was ready to take a linebacker at No. 41, but I’m glad I passed, as there were quality LB options when Cincinnati's Round 3 pick (No. 72) came up."

According to the Mock Draft Database's consensus big board, Downs is ranked ninth overall and first among safeties, while Woods is ranked 26th overall and first among defensive tackles.

Getting the consensus two best players to fill two of the weakest spots on the team last season would be a nice way to get rolling on April 23 and 24th, while notching major big board value along the way.

There are a lot of names to parse through for the Bengals director of player personnel, Duke Tobin. He's looking for leadership, among other traits, from his 2026 draft picks.

“To be a leader, though, you gotta have skins in the wall and you gotta play effectively," Tobin said at the 2026 NFL Combine. "And the rest of your teammates have to know that you are producing at a high level. It's hard to lead when you're not out on the field or when you're not producing well. So the first trait of a good leader is production, which is actually producing in a way that everyone respects and wants to mimic. So you have to have that. And then you have to have the outward charisma. And you've also gotta be willing to have tough conversations with people.

"And so finding leaders sounds easy, but there are a lot of components that go into that. And there are a lot of different leadership styles that can work. And I think we've got some inside of our own building that'll continue to evolve and grow in those roles. And then if we can find some ready-made guys who have the skins on the wall that come in and help us in those areas, that'll be good.”

Check out the full best-case scenario list from Edholm here.

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