JamesGB'S MOCK DRAFT
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JamesGB'S MOCK DRAFT
RUN ON FEB 14, 2026

Whoknows

  • JamesGB DRAFTING FOR THE
    Bengals
Draft Selections
Caleb Lomu Head Shot
PICK: 41 RND: 2 (CIN)
Caleb Lomu
OT Utah
Dillon Thieneman Head Shot
PICK: 47 RND: 2 (CIN)
Dillon Thieneman
S Oregon
Lee Hunter Head Shot
PICK: 72 RND: 3 (CIN)
Lee Hunter
DT Texas Tech
Gennings Dunker Head Shot
PICK: 78 RND: 3 (CIN)
Gennings Dunker
OG Iowa
Malachi Lawrence Head Shot
PICK: 110 RND: 4 (CIN)
Malachi Lawrence
DE-EDGE UCF
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 129 RND: 4 (CIN)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
Jermaine Mathews Jr. Head Shot
PICK: 187 RND: 6 (CIN)
Jermaine Mathews Jr.
CB Ohio State
Nadame Tucker Head Shot
PICK: 197 RND: 6 (CIN)
Nadame Tucker
DE Western Michigan
Mitchell Melton Head Shot
PICK: 226 RND: 7 (CIN)
Mitchell Melton
LB-EDGE Virginia
Roman Hemby Head Shot
PICK: 230 RND: 7 (CIN)
Roman Hemby
RB Indiana
Markis Deal Head Shot
PICK: 239 RND: 7 (CIN)
Markis Deal
DL TCU
Draft Picks Received
Dillon Thieneman Head Shot
PICK: 47 RND: 2 (IND)
Dillon Thieneman
S Oregon
Gennings Dunker Head Shot
PICK: 78 RND: 3 (IND)
Gennings Dunker
OG Iowa
Jake Golday Head Shot
PICK: 129 RND: 4 (CHI)
Jake Golday
OLB Cincinnati
Roman Hemby Head Shot
PICK: 230 RND: 7 (IND)
Roman Hemby
RB Indiana
Markis Deal Head Shot
PICK: 239 RND: 7 (CHI)
Markis Deal
DL TCU
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 4 (MIN)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 5 (IND)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
No Pick Head Shot
PICK: RND: 6 (MIN)
NEXT YEAR (2027)
 
Draft Picks Traded
Spencer Fano Head Shot
PICK: 10 RND: 1 (MIN)
Spencer Fano
OT Utah
Players Gained
Head Shot
Luther Burden III
WR
Draft Grade — Bengals
Overall B-
ValueB NeedB- TradesB- FutureB-
More right than wrong for the Bengals, and a B- to prove it.

Call it belief, call it a gut call, but Mitchell Melton at the Round 7 slot is 89 spots clear of consensus, and that is the headline.

Getting Golday where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. They will answer for taking edge rusher early while tight end, wide receiver and other spots went begging.

For all the activity, tight end went untouched, which is hard to explain.

In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the tight end spot they never got to.

Pick Analysis
Pick41 Rnd2 Caleb Lomu
Caleb Lomu in pick No. 41 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Pick47 Rnd2 Dillon Thieneman
They read the board right and Dillon Thieneman was the payoff at pick 47. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Pick72 Rnd3 Lee Hunter
Lee Hunter at the 72nd pick is money in the bank, a interior defensive lineman taken below his worth. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Pick78 Rnd3 Gennings Dunker
Gennings Dunker at slot 78 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Pick110 Rnd4 Malachi Lawrence
A wild overpay on Malachi Lawrence in the 110th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Pick129 Rnd4 Jake Golday
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Jake Golday adds an edge rusher and leaves tight end, wide receiver and other spots untouched.
Pick187 Rnd6 Jermaine Mathews Jr.
Somehow Jermaine Mathews Jr. was still sitting there in pick No. 187, and they pounced on premier cornerback value. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Pick197 Rnd6 Nadame Tucker
Nadame Tucker at Round 6, Pick 18 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Pick226 Rnd7 Mitchell Melton
Mitchell Melton at No. 226 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Pick230 Rnd7 Roman Hemby
A real head-scratcher, Roman Hemby in the Round 7 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Pick239 Rnd7 Markis Deal
They reached into another round for Markis Deal, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.