Papagaff 'S MOCK DRAFT
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Papagaff 'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON JAN 4, 2026

Five?

  • Papagaff DRAFTING FOR THE
    Bengals
Draft Selections
Caleb Downs Head Shot
PICK: 10 RND: 1 (CIN)
Caleb Downs
S Ohio State
Dontay Corleone Head Shot
PICK: 41 RND: 2 (CIN)
Dontay Corleone
DT Cincinnati
Deontae Lawson Head Shot
PICK: 72 RND: 3 (CIN)
Deontae Lawson
LB Alabama
D'Angelo Ponds Head Shot
PICK: 110 RND: 4 (CIN)
D'Angelo Ponds
CB Indiana
Draft Grade — Bengals
Overall B-
ValueB+ NeedB TradesB- FutureB-
No fireworks, just a tidy B- for the Bengals.

For all the names on the card, the loudest question went unanswered. The Bengals walked out of the weekend still thin at tight end, a hole that has a way of deciding seasons. It does the job without flash, and the B- reflects it.

That is a linebacker worth more than the slot they spent on him, plainly. On the needs board they went 3 of 8, with cornerback the one that mattered most.

A competent weekend that does not make headlines and does not need to.

Pick Analysis
Pick10 Rnd1 Caleb Downs
In slot 10 they get a downhill hitter at safety, outstanding value to boot. Need was not the driver here.
Pick41 Rnd2 Dontay Corleone
Dontay Corleone in the 41st pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Pick72 Rnd3 Deontae Lawson
Deontae Lawson is a better player than pick No. 72 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Pick110 Rnd4 D'Angelo Ponds
A straight-up fair deal on D'Angelo Ponds at the Round 4 slot, value and slot in agreement. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.