Nightmare22'S MOCK DRAFT
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Nightmare22'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON FEB 23, 2026

2/23/26

  • Nightmare22 DRAFTING FOR THE
    Bengals
Draft Selections
Arvell Reese Head Shot
PICK: 10 RND: 1 (CIN)
Arvell Reese
LB Ohio State
Dillon Thieneman Head Shot
PICK: 41 RND: 2 (CIN)
Dillon Thieneman
S Oregon
Lee Hunter Head Shot
PICK: 72 RND: 3 (CIN)
Lee Hunter
DT Texas Tech
Kaytron Allen Head Shot
PICK: 110 RND: 4 (CIN)
Kaytron Allen
RB Penn State
Bryce Boettcher Head Shot
PICK: 187 RND: 6 (CIN)
Bryce Boettcher
LB Oregon
Kobe Baynes Head Shot
PICK: 197 RND: 6 (CIN)
Kobe Baynes
OG Kansas
Thaddeus Dixon Head Shot
PICK: 226 RND: 7 (CIN)
Thaddeus Dixon
CB North Carolina
Draft Grade — Bengals
Overall B
ValueB NeedB TradesB- FutureB-
Boettcher should have been long gone. The Bengals pounced, and earned a B.

Everything else got attention, and tight end got none. That is a strange way for the Bengals to leave a draft. They moved the roster forward and banked a B for it.

Getting Boettcher where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. They left with cornerback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off. The weekend tilted hard toward the defense.

In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.

Pick Analysis
Pick10 Rnd1 Arvell Reese
In the 10th pick they get a coverage-and-run second-level piece at fair value. A real need, handled.
Pick41 Rnd2 Dillon Thieneman
Good price on Dillon Thieneman in Round 2, Pick 9, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Pick72 Rnd3 Lee Hunter
A quiet steal in pick No. 72: Lee Hunter for less than the market said. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick110 Rnd4 Kaytron Allen
Value with a capital V on Kaytron Allen in the Round 4 slot, a genuine coup. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick187 Rnd6 Bryce Boettcher
A linebacker of that caliber at No. 187 is the definition of value, full stop. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick197 Rnd6 Kobe Baynes
They read the board right and Kobe Baynes was the payoff at slot 197. The roster fit checks out.
Pick226 Rnd7 Thaddeus Dixon
Nice patience on Thaddeus Dixon, who had no business lasting to the 226th overall pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.