Jan. 14, 2026, 4:05 p.m. ET

From a Cincinnati Bengals perspective, it’s fun to watch mock drafts and overall NFL draft news right now. 

Most of the time, anyway. 

The Bengals hold the 10th pick and sit in a position to get a blue-chip prospect, likely at a position of need, when they walk to the podium. 

But this week, the Bengals’ chances at really getting the top overall player on their board take a pretty big hit with Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announcing he’s returning, rather than entering the draft.

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Moore was almost guaranteed to come off the board before the Bengals pick, which would’ve helped drive their targets down to them at No. 10. 

There’s still time for another quarterback to rise into the top 10 during the draft process. NFL teams do silly things for quarterbacks, too.

But right now? The more quarterbacks slated to go in the top 10, the better for the Bengals. And now a guaranteed one just left the process. 

Keep in mind, too, that other teams know what the Bengals want. The defense is the problem. So, leapfrogging them in the order, especially when a team that needed a quarterback could now be looking to move down, seems possible. 

Not the end of the world in mid-January, but one of those little things to keep in mind. 

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