Cincinnati Bengals Rank Among Top 10 Teams In Defensive Draft Capital Used This Decade

Cincinnati has invested a ton of draft capital into the defensive side of the ball this decade. Warren Sharp broke down the numbers on X this week, noting that the Bengals have spent the ninth-most draft capital on that side of the ball since 2020, all while never fielding a top 10 total defense across that time.

It's a glaring example of how poorly the team has largely drafted on that side of the ball. The front office has selected three clear hits in that time: Logan Wilson (2020), Dax Hill (2022), and DJ Turner II (2023).

The jury is either still out on the other batch of defensive picks, or it's left the courthouse entirely when it comes to guys like Cam Taylor-Britt and Tycen Anderson, who are no longer on the team.

Among AFC North teams, only Baltimore has spent more draft capital on the defensive side of the ball this decade.

Full Defensive Draft Capital Ranking

Dec 28, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. (44) and Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Barrett Carter (49) react after a play during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The top 10 went in this order: Jaguars, Lions, Cardinals, Eagles, Falcons, Cowboys, Ravens, Giants, Bengals and Commanders.

After all this, don't expect Cincinnati to start falling out of that top group. They just fielded the worst defense in the NFL by yards per play allowed (6.2 YPP allowed).

It's a big problem, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin is aiming to fix from April 23-25.

"You know, I've always been very impressed with Al. And the thing is, Al is very flexible," Tobin said about Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden at the 2026 NFL Combine. "He can take what he has and make a good defense out of it. He can, and I believe that, and I think he will do that. He has a vision for what he wants to be, and it's my job to go out and fill the needs that will fulfill that vision. And so, yeah, do I have 100% confidence that we'll get that done together? I do? I believe in Al, I believe in Zac.

"I think their vision is the right vision, and it's on the guys in the personnel department, with their help, to go out and identify guys and then see if we can get them signed. You know, it's a two-part thing. You can want somebody, and maybe they don't want you, or they go somewhere else, and they're not available to you, but we want to identify the right ones, then we want to go out and attack and see if we can get them to Cincinnati."

Check out the full 1-32 ranking from Sharp below:

total draft capital spent on defensive players since 2020 pic.twitter.com/jg3jGYRQqG
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 8, 2026

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