Cincinnati Bengals assistant offensive line coach Mike McCarthy, not to be confused with the new head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, got a good look at some of the best trench players entering the 2026 NFL Draft.

McCarthy was coaching the offensive line for the National roster during the Senior Bowl last week. While he was focusing on getting his players to look good for NFL personnel members, he also became aware of the defensive linemen his guys were going up against during the week.

Among those d-linemen are two players who figure to be potential top-50 picks, and possible targets for the Bengals when the draft rolls around.

First-round hopefuls catch Bengals coach’s eyes

Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker, the No. 31 player in A to Z Sports’ NFL Mock Draft Database, and Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter, who went No. 22 overall in Daniel Jeremiah’s first mock draft prior to the Senior Bowl each flashed for the National squad last week in Mobile, AL. Despite McCarthy’s coaching, they got their wins against their o-line teammates for the week of practice, and subsequent respect from an NFL o-line assistant coach.

“[T.J.] Parker is a really good, long-armed guy. Lee Hunter is a super bull-rush, power guy,” McCarthy told Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson. “So we’ve got to be throwing strikes (with the hands) and anchor, and things like how to re-fit an under (move).”

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Parker wins off the edge and Hunter pushes the pocket from the inside, but both are players Cincinnati could use in 2026 and beyond. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin flat-out admitted the Bengals will be looking to add pass-rushers of all kinds this offseason, and addressing arguably their biggest need within the first two rounds of the draft is standard practice under Tobin.

At the start of February, neither Parker nor Hunter are considered top-10 players in this class. Spending the No. 10 pick on either of them would be a surprising decision. Should either fall to Cincinnati’s second-round pick, No. 41 overall, it could then very much be a best player available scenario.

McCarthy is part of a coach staff that has major influence on the scouting process, and how decisions are reached in the war room. Any intel on how the staff views players is noteworthy, and McCarthy now has valuable experience seeing how two of the top d-linemen look up-close and personal.

Related: Bengals’ newest coaching hire signals additional changes were made to Zac Taylor’s staff

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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Feb 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.