Cincinnati Bengals Select Mauling Defender in Post-Wild Card Mock Draft

CINCINNATI — The Bengals went with another popular name for the franchise holding the 10th pick in Pro Football Focus's latest 2026 mock draft.

Max Chadwick has Cincinnati taking Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey.

"The Bengals selected one of the best run-defending edge rushers in the first round of last year’s draft in Shemar Stewart and selected the best pass-rusher in this year’s class with Bailey here. He leads all FBS defenders in PFF grade (93.1), pass-rush grade (93.9), pressures (81), and sacks (15)," Chadwick wrote.

Bailey is ranked 10th on the Mock Draft Database's consensus big board and second among edge rushers behind Miami's Rueben Bain.

The Bengals are searching for more pass rush after ranking 23rd in the NFL this past season with 127 total quarterback pressures. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin directly touched on that issue in his Friday press conference.

"Yeah, successful defenses, in my opinion, they have to be able to pressure the passer. You'd like to be able to pressure with four. I think we need a pass rush," Tobin said. "I think that relieves some of the strain on the coverage. So I'm a guy who believes in the front on both sides of the ball, and that is my focus. People might not believe that, but that is my focus.

"They might believe I love throwing the ball down the field and having great wideouts. Those opportunities presented themselves, we grabbed them, and we're glad we did. But I want to build the front. I always want to build the front. And so there are several pieces that we think we need and can add, and we'll see if we can."

Check out Chadwick's full mock draft here, as Bailey, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, and Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods continue to pop up the most for Cincinnati early in the process.

Bengals Popular 2026 Mocked Picks | NFL Mock Draft Database

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