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.
72. Gracen Halton, DT, Oklahoma
The Bengals, even after signing Allen, add to the defensive line room with Gracen Halton from Oklahoma. The trenches are where games in the NFL are won and lost, so the front office really has to get their defensive line sorted out this season.
110. Jake Slaughter, OC, Florida
Ted Karras has been a steady player for the Bengals at center for years now. He's set to play in his age-33 season, and he only has one more year left on his deal. Karras is also still playing at a rather high level and has not missed a start in each of the last three seasons, but Cincy should do a bit of long-term planning along the interior.
Both he and guard Dalton Risner have one year left on their deals, so the Bengals add some potential long-term insurance with the intelligent Jake Slaughter from Florida.
189. Red Murdock, LB, Buffalo
Adding another linebacker to the mix, the Bengals select Red Murdock from Buffalo at pick 189. Murdock had a whopping 298 tackles over the past two seasons in college. He fills up the stat sheet and could be a viable backup.
199. Nate Boerkircher, TE, Texas A&M
Nate Boerkircher is a developmental tight end prospect with solid blocking ability and perhaps some untapped potential as a receiver. This could be a fun pick down the line.
221. Eli Heidenreich, WR, Navy
Another fun pick, Eli Heidenreich finished his collegiate career with 1,157 rushing yards and 1,994 receiving yards. A true dual-threat offensive weapon could be a fun element in Cincy's offense.
226. DJ Campbell, OG, Texas
Cincy's last pick in this mock draft is DJ Campbell, a guard from Texas. The one way the Bengals can keep this offensive line in a solid spot is to obviously draft before the needs become urgent. The team could have two future starters waiting in the wings with Slaughter at center and Campbell occupying a guard spot if Risner were to depart after next season.