2026 Draft Talking Points

[HoosierCat]

Good mock. Yah, saw Joe’s video, liked his mock too. However if he’s trying to model the Bengals’ style, he needs to tweak the rules a bit. For example:

In round 1, your selection must be based on a future need at a position where you don’t intend to pay the current player.

In round 2, since you ignored any gaping holes in round one, you must take a player who will start week 1.

In round 3, you must take a player to try and fix a bad draft decision made in the past two drafts.

In round 4, you must take a player at least a round early.

In the remaining rounds you may take any player you want just know they will all end up on the taxi squad.

[HoosierCat]

Great news from Hobs, fellas! It looks like the Bengals have spent big on the draft this year! No, no, not on scouting or anything like that, on tech! Now they got computers and apps and everything!

https://www.bengals.com/news/bengals-poised-to-launch-in-draft-s-mission-control-a-peek-inside-new-look-command-center

Yessireebob, I’m sure that plugging all their bad data into shiny new boxes will make all the difference!

[ArmyBengal]

Side bar....
Why do people keep saying we "returned" to the moon or we "went back" to the moon?
They orbited the moon, they didn't land on it.
I flew over the grand canyon, but don't say I "went" to the grand canyon.

Anywho...
So what he's saying is, that since 2020 they haven't done anything different?
Ok, not surprising.  My surprise is that is wasn't longer.
They "make it come alive".  Make it "more efficient".  They "leverage tools".

I think they need to leverage my tool with that explanation.  They literally said nothing.

They could just as easily log into ESPN and follow the draft board there to find the majority of that information.  You know, the same one they have developed and enhanced for the last 20+ years?  And a 90in monitor?  Ok Bengals, when you catch up to my 100in flatscreen TV in my mancave I've had for two years, let me know when you do something spectacular.

"Cockpit" ??  Hey Pumpkin, get over here I want to put that to the test.

 

Hey front office, did you know that if you warm up ice, it melts?
Fucking Bengals...

[COB]

25 minutes ago, ArmyBengal said:

Side bar....
Why do people keep saying we "returned" to the moon or we "went back" to the moon?
They orbited the moon, they didn't land on it.
I flew over the grand canyon, but don't say I "went" to the grand canyon.

Classic old man rant. I love it.  I don’t want to upset your pacemaker, but there are some kids on your lawn.  

[ArmyBengal]

Dude for real.  That shit drives me nuts every time I hear it.
Hate to be the downer, but all that shit comprised of is a remake from 1968 with better tech.
Do better NASA, you ain't fooling anyone with that bullshit.

Hold up, I have to handle these fuckin' kids.
If I've told them once......

[ArmyBengal]

Also, all these people cheering them on and shit.
Shut the fuck up.  Space X can land booster rockets on a moving platform in the fucking water.
Yes, for real.  How are you going to make a remake of a classic and fuck it all up?

Hey NASA, where's your moonrock from this mission?  Oh wait, that's right.
FUCK YOU NASA, you gaslighting mother fuckers.

[ArmyBengal]

Oh and the fucking astronauts my wife made me watch in their press conference?
How the hell do you do something everyone thinks is so beyond amazing and then when you get the chance to say something profound about your experience, the best you can come up with is, "We are you and you are us".

Yeah, go fuck yourselves too !!

[COB]

The best paragraph from that article:
 

“Not exactly man landing on the moon. But consider that the draft's moderator, Bengals president Mike Brown, was born the month of radio's first traffic reports in 1935.”

 

What the fuck does he mean, the draft’s moderator?  Hobson has to swallow a lot of dignity and pride to push this bullshit out all these years, but at least his stuff usually makes sense.  Even if it is propaganda.  But in what way is Mike a “moderator”?  
 

But the crack on Mike’s age is sweet.  Could also point out Mike was born about a year after Bonnie and Clyde were gunned down, he was born ten or 15 years before the jet engine was created.  Calling him a moderator is one more in a long line of vague and sometimes misleading job titles and descriptions the bengals use to shield their people from any responsibility or accountability.

[ArmyBengal]

I blame Hoosier for posting that article about the Bengals and the draft.
I was in a great mood up until then.
Since then I think I have dropped roughly 647 "F" bombs while at work.

No worries, I will recover...

[HoosierCat]

Suck it up, buttercup! 

The thing is, we should have landed back on the moon already. The reason we just repeated Apollo 8 and not Apollo 11 is that NASA outsourced the lunar lander to…SpaceX, which promised to deliver a “Lunar Starship” to land on the moon.

Unfortunately SpaceX’s Starship does not and will never work, so now we are waiting for…Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to come up with something.

In short your fucks should be directed at the ketamine-addled lamebrain running SpaceX. NASA has its problems but this ain’t one of ‘em.

Now, as for Mike the Moderator, he is the moderator in the sense of the control rods in a nuclear reactor. Normally when the reactor is running the rods are pulled out, but when you want to moderate power or stop the reaction, they are inserted and, in the latter case, the reactor shuts down. Mike was inserted into the Bengals draft reactor decades ago and was never removed, rendering the entire process nonfunctional.

[COB]

3 hours ago, HoosierCat said:

 

Now, as for Mike the Moderator, he is the moderator in the sense of the control rods in a nuclear reactor. Normally when the reactor is running the rods are pulled out, but when you want to moderate power or stop the reaction, they are inserted and, in the latter case, the reactor shuts down. Mike was inserted into the Bengals draft reactor decades ago and was never removed, rendering the entire process nonfunctional.

So Mike’s sole purpose all these years was to absorb neutrons?  Explains his prodigious liver spot production.  Science really can clarify everything.

[ArmyBengal]

No worries Hoosier, there are plenty of Go Fuck Yourselves to go around. I really don’t care all that much to be honest. It’s probably my irritation with Mrs. ArmyBengal and he endless watching I seemingly couldn’t escape.

[HoosierCat]

ESPN gathers 10 scouts/GMs to mock the first 10 picks. Bengals land Downs at 10.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/draft2026/story/_/id/48488008/2026-nfl-draft-mock-scouts-top-10-predictions-picks

[ArmyBengal]

I saw that as well.  Interesting how their board fell and their thoughts on players.
No trades changes things greatly though and you could see what they were thinking and where.
Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me to see it play out similar with a couple of trades to mix it up.

Downs would obviously be a big win in my book.

[COB]

Agreed, Downs would be a great pick.  

[HoosierCat]

Goodberry has a nice video up looking at offensive sleepers. Some interesting prospects here, including another prospect from Navy…

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NiiXQ41xgjc&pp=ygUUZmlyc3Qgc3RhciBsb2dpc3RpY3M%3D

[HoosierCat]

Allright, post-Lawrence, via PFN’s simulator and after a trade with Philly at 41:

54 OG Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon. Almost feels like it has to be an offensive pick here given everything they’ve poured into the D. Starting RG in 27.

68 Edge Cashius Howell, Texas A&M. Why argue with Mel when you don’t have to?

72 S AJ Haulcy, LSU. You’re welcome, Army.

110 LB Kyle Louis, Pitt. Everyone’s favorite gadget LB.

199 C Trey Zuhn III, Texas A&M. Can play all 5 spots on the line.

221 WR Vinny Anthony, Wisconsin. Has some KO return chops.

226 QB Cade Klubnik, Clemson. Taxi squad bait.

[ArmyBengal]

Thanks brother !!

[ArmyBengal]

Funny, I did the same thing in trading back in the 2nd round to grab an extra pick. That wouldn’t surprise me in the least.

Oh… they still need another CB.
As much as I like Haulcy, I won’t be shocked to see them pass on safety altogether at this point and grab a CB.

[HoosierCat]

Yeah even Dehner is pounding the table for a trade in the second, tho I’d prefer to keep Slaton:

I’ll start by pointing out that the immediate fallout of the trade is the need to pull off another. Previous starting nose tackle T.J. Slaton must be available at this point for anyone interested. He has one year and $6.2 million in cash remaining on his deal. Or, the Bengals pluck an old favorite move and drop back 8-10 spots in the second round. They’ll likely land a similarly graded player, given the sweet spot of this year’s crop, and could find another early Day 3 pick in the process. I didn’t project the trade here, but that must be under heavy consideration on Friday. 

His full final mock: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7206078/2026/04/20/bengals-mock-draft-dexter-lawrence-trade/

[ArmyBengal]

I'm doing mocks and looking to see who the various boards show remaining at #10 after the trade.

Draft Network- All our targeted players were gone.  Giants took Styles and traded down for Lemon.
My picks in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th were:
Keionte Scott, CB, Miami
Anthony Hill, LB, Texas
Dani Dennis-Sutton, DE, Penn St.

Pro Football Network- Both Bain and Downs were still available at #10.  Giants took Styles and Bain.
I traded down to #52 and picked up another 4th.  My picks in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th were:
A.J. Haulcy, S, LSU
Keionte Scott, CB, Miami
Jager Burton, OC, Kentucky
Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame

NFL Mock Draft Database- Downs and Bain both on the board.  Giants took Styles and Delane.
My picks in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th were:
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
Davison Igbinosun, CB, Ohio State
Trey Zuhn, OT, Texas A&M

ESPN Analytics- All our targeted players were gone.  Giants took Mauigoa and Tate.
My picks in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th were:
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
D'Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana
Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State

Fan Speak- Styles and Love were both on the board.  Giants took Mauigoa and Styles.
There was a trade offer, but Hood was sitting there.  My picks in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th were:
Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee
Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
Markel Bell, OT, Miami

A to Z Sports- Downs was on the board.  Giants took Tate and Ioane.
I don't like division trades, but I moved from #41 to #53 and got a 3rd from Pitt.
My picks in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th were:
Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
Keionte Scott, CB, Miami
Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State
Trey Zuhn, OT, Texas A&M

I was just curious and thought I'd share.  God know there could have been other outcomes.

[ArmyBengal]

I've mentioned him before and hoping he's still there at #41, but Jacob Rodriguez is my new favorite target in the 2nd round.  Once you get past Reese and Styles, he's my favorite linebacker in the draft.  I expect him to be gone by #41, but I'm hoping.

When going back to the offensive, if the offensive line isn't addressed for depth, it's going to be problematic.
Orlando Brown is under contract through 2028 and is about to turn 30.
Dylan Fairchild is under contract through 2028 and is about to turn 23.
Ted Karras is under contract through this season and just turned 33.
Dalton Risner is under contract through this season and will turn 31 in the summer.
Amarius Mims is under contract through 2028 with the club option and turns 24 during the season.

Backups are composed of:
Cody Ford (UGH)
Jalen Rivers (He's developing)
Javon Foster (WHO?)
Jacob Bayer (WHO?)

They absolutely MUST address the Center and Guard positions during the draft in my opinion.
I don't think there would be a wrong time or round to do this either.  I just want them in camp.
While I really want guys like Jacob Rodriguez, AJ Haulcy and Keionte Scott, an o-lineman is an equal want.

[HoosierCat]

Hard agree, Army. Honestly I wouldn’t complain much if they used both the second and third round picks on the oline.

A lot of people point to the knee injury in the ‘05 playoff game as the point where the Palmer era started to collapse, but I’d argue it was week 2 of the ‘06 season when Buckethead went down that the wheels really began to come off. Let’s not do that again.

[ArmyBengal]

Seriously Hoosier.

For anyone unaware or not paying attention, click the depth chart link and take a look at our o-line depth.  
If that doesn't concern you, we should really spend some time discussing.

If the Bengals would rather find some veteran players to fill those roles, I'm good with that, but they really need to be thinking longer term and if that means spending a 2nd, 3rd or both on o-line, then do it.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/team/depth/_/name/cin/cincinnati-bengals