Chances Surface For Each Top Bengals NFL Draft Target To Be Available At Pick 10

Cincinnati would probably love if this quarterback class were better.

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Caleb Downs (2) leaves the field following the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against the Miami Hurricanes on Dec. 31, 2025. Ohio State lost 24-14. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bengals have been closely tied to a few big-time players in mock drafts so far this draft cycle, but how likely are each of the top prospects to be available at Pick 10? Well, SFData9ers on X answered the question with the latest 65 major mock drafts posted between Jan. 20 and Feb. 3.

According to the Mock Draft Database, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey, Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods, and LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane are the most common picks by Cincinnati in the past week of mock drafts.

Two of those talents are widely available in the player availability gauge: Woods (available at Pick 10 in 95% of mocks) and Delane (88%).

Downs (49%) and Bailey (15%) are far less likely to be available to Cincinnati. The Bengals are sitting right on the edge of the clear top talent pool in this draft. Even Notre Dame running back Jeremyiah Love is off the board most of the time by Pick 10 (17%) as arguably the top player in the entire class.

The lack of top quarterback options outside of Fernando Mendoza is pushing some options off the table for Cincinnati in mock drafts because teams that would normally go after QBs are punting in this weak passer class. Alabama QB Ty Simpson is widely considered the second-best quarterback behind Mendoza, and he's available in 94% of mocks at Pick 10.

Cincinnati has nailed its two top 10 picks this decade in Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase. It would be a bit surprising if the third was also an offensive player after how bad the defense has been for multiple years.

Although the best non-quarterback available may not play on defense.

"We have tons of leadership on the offensive side of the ball. We need somebody, multiple people, to step up and lead that group from within our team," Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said last month. "And it could come from the outside, and it could come from the inside. We can get improvement from both of those areas. We can get improvement and play from the inside, which I see happening, and we can get improvement from the outside, be it the draft, free agency, or however we want to attack it.

Check out the full numbers from SFData9ers below:

How likely is each player to still be on the board within the first 10 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft?

Based on 65 mock drafts from the past two weeks. https://t.co/9HTNCwRh0r pic.twitter.com/B2KcU94TSe

— SFdata9ers🏈📊 (@sfdata9ers) February 4, 2026

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