2026 Draft Talking Points

[TJJackson]

The man named.........Fred

https://www.cincyjungle.com/post/QMqhifz2iGOL

also referred to by some as The Big Johnson

[ArmyBengal]

I'm starting to see mocks with Styles going before Reese.
I've made the comment many times that Styles is, at a minimum, Reese's equal.

I would be overjoyed with Reese, Styles or Downs from that Buckeyes defense at #10.

[COB]

14 hours ago, ArmyBengal said:

I would be overjoyed with Reese, Styles or Downs from that Buckeyes defense at #10.

You’ll get Billy Price 2.0 and like it.  Or John Ross 2.0.  Or that stiff we drafted last year 2.0.  
 

Insert name 2.0.

[HoosierCat]

I fear Army is right that they will go DT like Woods. Sucks for me because I always want a top DT but it’s not a good year for one.

[COB]

The draft should be happening now.  This is my annual complaint, posted since they moved the draft later in the spring.  
 

Also, Reds fans had a halfhearted riot yesterday over basically nothing.  Meanwhile we eat buckets of shit from this mom and pop hardware store organization and we do nothing.  Civil disobedience now!

Also, if I have to tell you again I’m calling your parents, get off my lawn.  

[ArmyBengal]

I hear how stacked this DT class is and have to wonder if the people saying that actually watch football.

Here, watch this YouTube "highlight" and tell me where you see the elite traits everyone throws around when speaking about Woods.  Don't get me wrong, he might be a guy that you could add as a part of a rotation, but he's not elite.  There are some plays that look solid, but there are some that are just terrible.  We have this guy on our roster already and if the Bengals use the 10th overall pick on him, I will be done with the Bengals.

Not that the Bengals will care that I'm done with them, but it would be the equivalent of signing Josh Johnson to be Burrow's backup.  Just fucking lazy and going through the motions to put a body in the laundry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-5-HEjQnsI

 

[HoosierCat]

I think Woods will be a good player, but yeah I don’t want him at 10. Now if Tate is still on the board at 10 and some team comes dangling a second for us to move down — say the Jets cough up 16 and 44 for 10 — I could be sold on Woods then.

[HoosierCat]

Today’s pff mock:

1 Downs

2 Ponds

3 Waffle House 

Good to go.

[COB]

I can’t imagine Downs being there at 10, but I also can’t tell if some algorithm is feeding me insane hype.  Let me put it this way, if all nfl teams are reading and seeing the same stuff I’m reading and seeing, he’s going before 10.  

[ArmyBengal]

Yeah, Downs has been and will remain my #1 want in the draft.
In the event he's gone, a Sonny Styles in the first and AJ Haulcy in the 2nd would be amazing.

That being said, let me go back to the DT class from a stat perspective:

Woods- 3 yrs/35 games (84 tackles, 14.5 TFL, 5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles "FF")
McDonald- 3 yrs/34 games (85 tackles, 11 TFL, 3 sacks and 2 FF)
Hunter- 4 yrs/52 games (172 tackles, 32 TFL, 7.5 sacks and 1 FF)
Banks- 5 yrs/34 games (48 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 6.5 sacks and 3 FF)
Halton- 4 yrs/47 games (84 tackles, 17.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks and 3 FF)
Miller- 4 yrs/43 games (64 tackles, 11.5 TFL, 4 sacks and 0 FF)
Orange- 4 yrs/50 games (66 tackles, 7 TFL, 1 sack and 0 FF)
Corleone- 4 yrs/44 games (123 tackles, 17 TFL, 9.5 sacks and 3 FF)

Now, lets compare them to what we have on the roster already:

Hill- 4 yrs/51 games (186 tackles, 26.5 TFL, 9 sacks and 2 FF)              3rd ROUND DRAFT PICK
Allen- 4 yrs/51 games (153 tackles, 45 TFL, 28.5 sacks and 3 FF)         17th OVERALL DRAFT PICK
Slaton- 4 yrs/45 games (98 tackles, 10 TFL, 3.5 sacks and 0 FF)           5th ROUND DRAFT PICK
Jenkins- 4 yrs/44 games (113 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks and 0 FF)       2nd ROUND DRAFT PICK
McKinnley- 4 yrs/40 games (91 tackles, 15.5 TFL, 7.5 sacks and 1 FF)  3rd ROUND DRAFT PICK

There is no Jonathan Allen in this draft.  Again too bad we got him late in his career, but I do like him.

My point to all this isn't to say these guys won't be good NFL players, it's that they aren't worthy of the 10th overall pick damn near any year in the history of the NFL draft.  Give me any of these guys in the 3rd round or later and I won't bat an eye lash.  First round ??  GTFOH.

I only put Corleone in there because he's one of my favorites and is COMPLETELY overlooked.

[HoosierCat]

One more to add just because he’s reportedly one of the Bengals’ top 30 visits:

Robinson 3/38 games, 153 tackles, 18.5 TFL, 14.5 sacks, 2 FF

[ArmyBengal]

Yes Robinson.

I'm always fearful of those service academy guys and how they transition into top level competition once they join the league.

You go from hopefully dominating teams like North Texas, Tulane, Army, UTSA, Rice, Tulsa and Charlotte to playing against grown men in the pros.  It doesn't always translate well.

Without looking, I bet 99% of pro football fans couldn't name 3 players in the NFL all time, that came from the service academies.  That's not to say that Robinson is going to suck, but I wouldn't be putting all of my defensive line eggs into that basket.  Too much risk until the late rounds if not UDFA.

[HoosierCat]

He got raves at the Shrine Bowl, and both the Bills and Pats have either visited him or had him in (pats twice I think). I’ve seen him projected as a 5th round pick (which notably we don’t have). If the Bengals decide to take a day 3 flyer on the kid, I won’t complain.

[COB]

The best pro athlete to come out of a service academy was named Robinson. David Robinson went to the naval academy, then was great NBA player.  

[COB]

Attention DiGiorno pizza company:  

I sincerely hope that you will still be making your Detroit Style Crust 3 Meat frozen pizza 15 years from now.  Because that’s how long it will take me to smuggle in a juvenile Eastern Lowland Gorilla, build an appropriate environment for him in my basement, and raise him into a full grown Silverback.  Since he will be nine times stronger than any human, he will have a fair chance of actually getting the pizza removed from your packaging.  Thank you.

[ArmyBengal]

That’s why you buy pizza rolls.

Jesus I thought everyone knew that…

Good luck with the gorilla !!

[ArmyBengal]

21 hours ago, COB said:

The best pro athlete to come out of a service academy was named Robinson. David Robinson went to the naval academy, then was great NBA player.  

I watch Robinson for years while stationed in San Antonio and is a big part of why I’m still a Spurs fan. My son and I go down every now and then to catch a game and hang out on the Riverwalk. Good times !!

[ArmyBengal]

Almost 3 weeks away and did a mock having a player I love and think will be gone, fall to #10.
Most probably don't watch the combine, but you could see it in the way he moves.  TWITCH AND SPEED.
Watch his highlights.  Dude is impressive and one of the few DE's I like at #10.

#10. David Bailey, DE, Texas Tech-  Couldn't believe he fell.
#47. TRADE:  Dropped to #47 and picked up a 4th:  AJ Haulcy, S, LSU-  Still my 2nd favorite safety in the draft.
#72. Davison Igbinosun, CB, Ohio State
#110. Dontay Corleone, DT, Cincinnati-  Would be considered a reach, but he's still one of my favorite DT's.
#113. Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State-  I think he's the most underrated RB in the whole draft.
#189. Jack Kelly, LB, BYU-  They seem set in their ways, but I like the addition of Kelly here.  Good value.
#199. Jeff Caldwell, WR, Cincinnati-  6'5 and runs a 4.31.  Yes please.  You can't teach height and speed like that.

I didn't bother with the 7th round, but throw in some high ceiling guys and call it good.
I could have added some o-line depth with the Corleone and Singleton picks, but there wasn't anyone there I thought would have helped or had more potential then those two did.  Again, I admit to possibly making a reach for Corleone, but something tells me he may be right around that range anyway.

Oh well, just having fun and wasting time on my favorite players the Bengals won't draft.

[COB]

I would take that draft.  4 top picks all defense, a couple of those would likely hit and help Golden try to get the ship righted.  

[HoosierCat]

So Kiper, Miller, Reid and Yates go around the table for a 3-round mock. https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2026/story/_/id/48357214/2026-nfl-mock-draft-three-rounds-kiper-miller-reid-yates-predictions 

I don’t completely hate their choices (I give this a D) but if it goes down like this Bengaldom will riot. (And if they pass on Haulcy in the third for Big Citrus Army will burn PBS to the ground!)

[ArmyBengal]

Yeah, I saw that and about shit myself.

I like Delane (ALOT) and have stated I would have no issue, but he also made that selection while simultaneously passing on Bain.  Not sure about that when Delane isn't supplanting either Turner or Hill.

Then he takes Zachariah Branch, a player I absolutely think would kill it running the slot with Ja'Marr and Tee.  Branch will probably now be taken in the 2nd round, but I don't want him there when considering who we still have on the roster.  Not the best use of a 2nd round pick when looking at the defensive needs.

Then the worst fucking pick ever, Big Citrus at DT when an All-American safety is still available.  Lets take a one trick pony, whose trick isn't that good and isn't better than other depth already on the roster while simultaneously neglecting a similar position of need.  Holy shit me to fucking tears.

I would be d-o-n-e, DONE with this team if that draft were to come to fruition.

[HoosierCat]

Yeah I can justify Delane over Bain just because it’s tough to keep dumping resources into the same position year after year while other spots go wanting. But as you’ve said there are a lot of good corner prospects this year and Johnson ends up available in the second here. Bain-Johnson (or Anthony Hill)-Haulcy would be an A draft. No disrespect to Delane or Branch, would love to have both, but the way this falls I can’t do it.

[ArmyBengal]

Yeah, let me look closer....

In having the hindsight of seeing who went where and being able to make picks with that knowledge.

1. CB Delane
2. DE Lawrence
3. S Haulcy

YES Hoosier !!  Bain, Johnson and Haulcy would be sick as well.

In the 2nd, there's a lot of talent I could justify instead of Lawrence:
CB Hood
OT Lomu
CB Johnson
LB Hill
OT Tiernan
LB Goldey

That's a great problem to be staring at and I would be hoping a trade down was in the works.
 

[ArmyBengal]

Just out of curiosity, is there a player the Bengals have no business taking that would be there at #10 that any of you wouldn't completely lose your shit over, resulting in TV's being broken and puppies being kicked?

WR Carnell Tate
RB Jeremiyah Love
TE Kenyon Sadiq
Anyone else?

I think with the defensive needs, any of those would probably irritate me.
Again, just curious.

[COB]

Just the positions alone would infuriate me.