Bengals 2-Round Mock Draft After Historic NFL Combine Performances

The Cincinnati Bengals have already made their first big move of the offseason by re-signing offensive lineman Dalton Risner to a new contract. This move helps shore up one of the bigger issues on Cincinnati's roster: the offensive line.

Risner has been very vocal about how much he wanted to remain with the Bengals, which is always a good sign, but Cincinnati can't be done.

The Bengals need to add a few stars to their defense over the course of the offseason. While free agency may come first, there's a lot to talk about with the NFL Draft following last week's combine.

I opted to put together my own NFL mock draft for the Bengals following the combine. I used PFF's mock draft simulator to take control of the Bengals for the first two rounds of the draft. Here are the results:

Round 1, Pick 10: LSU CB Mansoor Delane

LSU cornerback Mansoor Delan — Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; LSU defensive back Mansoor Delane (DB06) speaks to media members during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

At pick No. 10, players like Caleb Downs, Rueben Bain Jr., and Sonny Styles were already gone, so the Bengals ended up with the best player available: LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane.

Cincinnati doesn't have a pressing need at cornerback, but adding Delane certainly upgrades the defense. The best case scenario sees Cincinnati add somebody to the defensive line, linebacker room, or safety room, but that's not how the cards were dealt in this scenario.

Either way, Delane is potentially the best cornerback in the draft class. He's tall and lanky enough to match up with practically any wide receiver in the NFL, but his best traits are his physicality and athleticism. Delane could quickly develop into a shutdown man coverage corner in the NFL, so there's no reason the Bengals wouldn't be better off adding him at pick No. 10.

Round 2, Pick 41: LSU S AJ Haulcy

LSU safety AJ Haulc — Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; LSU defensive back AJ Haulcy (DB36) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

AJ Haulcy was the best safety left on the board at pick No. 41, so that's where I believe the Bengals would go. The best-case scenario would see the Bengals trade up into the first round again to land either Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil-Warren or Oregon's Dillon Thieneman.

In this mock draft, the Bengals land the former LSU star.

Haulcy is a big, physical safety. He plays with excellent instincts and reacts quickly to different route combinations. He can come down in the box with the best safeties in the class, which makes him the versatile weapon that Cincinnati needs.

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