Cincinnati Bengals Literally Make Big Addition in Recent Mock Draft

CINCINNATI — The folks at Pro Football Focus dropped their weekly 2026 NFL mock draft recently, and Cincinnati stayed in the trenches with a big-man pick at 10th overall.

Trevor Sikkema had Cincinnati selecting Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald.

"Cincinnati finished dead last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed this season, surrendering nearly 150 yards per game on the ground," Sikkema wrote. "Adding Kayden McDonald would go a long way toward fixing that issue. The Ohio State interior defender earned a dominant 92.1 PFF run-defense grade and posted an elite 31.2% run-stop rate, giving the Bengals a true anchor in the middle of their defensive line. There’s a scenario where Cincinnati could trade down and still land McDonald, but with the board finalized and no trades in this mock, addressing their biggest weakness directly made the most sense."

The pick would be a big board reach by the Bengals. The Mock Draft Database has McDonald ranked 23rd overall and second among defensive tackles on its consensus big board.

At 6-3, 326-pound, He notched 65 tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles last season. It amounted to an 86.5 Pro Football Focus grade on 448 snaps.

McDonald is a true nose tackle that would give the Bengals a true building block in the middle of their defensive front. If Cincinnati believes he could give them any pass rush help, then there's certainly reason to think they'd consider taking him in the first round. McDonald would make an instant impact on a defense that desperately needs more playmakers, but the 10th overall pick might be a bit rich for him.

David Bailey and Peter Woods were still on the board. Check out the full mock draft here.

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