Once again, it feels like the Cincinnati Bengals left a lot of meat on the bone in free agency despite having a good chunk of cap space, and once again, the defense was the one area that got the most attention. To be fair to Cincy, they were able to sign three good players in Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe, and Bryan Cook.
However, when you look at this unit as a whole, it's clear that more help is needed. Fortunately, the offensive line appeared to come into shape down the stretch in 2025, so that unit actually doesn't need a major investment right now, believe it or not.
But this franchise has now missed the playoffs three years in a row, and the prime Joe Burrow years continue to fly by. Our updated Bengals mock draft unsurprisingly contains a major investment on the defensive side of the ball.
Cincinnati Bengals go all-out to finally fix the defense in latest NFL Mock Draft
10. Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
Mansoor Delane is going to become one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL rather quickly and is great in man coverage. The 2026 NFL Draft is quite deep at cornerback, and Delane could end up being the first one off the board.
The secondary has seen a ton of NFL Draft investment in recent years, but some of those players just simply are not good enough. Delane is a slam-dunk pick and instantly helps this secondary come together.
41. Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
The linebacker room is another area where more emphasis is needed. Jake Golday would get to remain in the same state and play for the Bengals. He's a bigger linebacker and someone who does use his size to his advantage. He's got a ton of athletic upside and is a solid linebacker prospect in a deep class.