Jan. 21, 2026, 9:22 a.m. ET
Most Cincinnati Bengals fans have one name atop their 2026 NFL draft wishlists:
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
It’s not all Ohio bias playing into the hopes, either. Downs is one of the best safety prospects to enter the pros in years. The Bengals have struggled horrendously since the ill-advised mishap that saw Jessie Bates leave the team.
And Bengals fans aren’t alone with the idea.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. just dished his newest mock draft and has the Bengals grabbing Downs at No. 10:
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“Downs reads plays so well and has the speed and wrap-up technique to wrangle and take down ball carriers. And don’t sleep on his ball skills: Downs had two interceptions in each of his three college seasons. He’s exactly the type of player the Bengals need on the back end. Cincinnati allowed the NFL’s most yards per play in two of the past three campaigns, including 6.2 yards in 2025.”
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It’s no great secret that Downs would be a good pick for the Bengals, all things considered. They haven’t given up hope on Jordan Battle just yet (unless something much bigger comes along).
But the rest of the depth chart is a mess. Geno Stone is a free agent and names like Tycen Anderson and Daijahn Anthony apparently couldn’t be trusted to see reps.
Rookies usually need time to get acclimated to the NFL and Bengals fans probably don’t love the idea of throwing guys in the fire after watching rookie linebackers for most of last year. But Downs learning on the fly is probably better than anything they fielded last year, anyway.
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