Bengals Met With Intriguing Defensive Prospect Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft

The Cincinnati Bengals came into the offseason with holes all over their defense. They took to free agency to plug a few of these holes, adding Bryan Cook at safety, Boye Mafe at edge rusher, and Jonathan Allen at defensive tackle.

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All three of these players should be welcomed additions to the Bengals defense, but they still need to do more. Cincinnati still needs to add talent. The roster needs a linebacker. It needs more help up front. The unit is seemingly worse than it was last year, but the Bengals might be done in free agency.

As a result, it seems like they're going to turn their attention to the NFL Draft to bolster the defense up a bit more.

Tony Pauline of Essentially Sports recently reported that the Bengals met with South Carolina defensive back Jalon Kilgore at his pro day this month. Kilgore is projected to go around the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Bengals Could Draft Jalon Kilgore to Shore Up Defense

"Conversely, his teammate Jalon Kilgore is moving up draft boards. The former freshman All-American safety was forced to move to cornerback this season for the Gamecocks, who lacked talented bodies at the position, and he excelled," Pauline wrote. "He stood on his terrific numbers from the combine, where he worked with the safeties, and just did position drills, and he looked terrific. Kilgore has official 30 visits with the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, and Seattle Seahawks. Before the workout on Tuesday, he met with the Cincinnati Bengals and Minnesota Vikings, then met with the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins after pro day."

Kilgore would be the ideal pick in the third or fourth round.

For a cornerback, he's an excellent run defender with the ability to tackle in space. He has good block shedding ability and plays very well in the slot. The young defensive back is also a very good athlete with excellent speed and explosiveness.

He's a ball hawk with the ability to make big plays. Over his three year college career, he recorded eight interceptions, including five in his sophomore campaign.

The Bengals need a slot cornerback to add to their defense. It might feel like a reach to end up with Jermod McCoy or Mansoor Delane at pick No. 10. The Bengals would be better off landing a different defensive prospect at pick No. 10 before targeting Kilgore down the board. It could be the dream scenario.

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