CINCINNATI, Ohio — Super Bowl LX is officially over, and that means all 32 NFL teams, including the Bengals, are in the offseason.

This offseason is another important one for the Bengals as they hope to end a three-year playoff drought. The defense will have to be heavily reworked this offseason after it finished 30th in scoring and 31st in yards allowed.

While they will have plenty of cap space to spend in free agency, hitting on picks in the 2026 NFL Draft will be just as vital, especially considering they have the 10th pick.

Here’s what some national experts project the Bengals will do with that pick in our first mock draft roundup of the 2026 cycle.

The pick: Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey

The Seattle Seahawks proved on Sunday that a championship-caliber defense usually starts with having a front four that can create chaos. The Bengals didn’t have that in 2025, and the future of Trey Hendrickson is uncertain.

Because of that, Klatt has the Bengals using the 10th pick to select the explosive Bailey, who was a big part of why Texas Tech won the Big 12 and had one of the nation’s most feared defenses.

The 6-3, 250-pound Bailey had 14.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles in 2025.

The pick: Ohio State S Caleb Downs

With the top edge rushers in Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr. off the board, Renner has the Bengals going in-state with the tenth pick and selecting Downs, who has been arguably the best defensive player in college football the last two seasons.

“Downs’ versatility and reliability would be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Bengals’ porous secondary. He could fill the slot role that’s growing in value across the NFL or function as a hybrid defender in Al Golden’s defense,” Renner wrote.

In 2025, Downs had 45 solo tackles, a sack, five TFLs, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. His addition could complement a good group of Bengals corners led by DJ Turner II and Dax Hill.

The pick: Downs

Like Renner, Rogers has the Bengals taking Downs with the 10th pick. Rogers noted that he believes that Downs might be the best-case scenario for the Bengals at this spot.

“He has a sixth sense with everything developing in front of him, but can also match up down the field against opposing tight ends. He’s a top five player in this draft and not one to overthink,” Rogers wrote.

In an interesting twist in Rogers’ mock, he has Downs as the fourth Ohio State player off the board at that pick. He has Arvell Reese going third, followed by Carnell Tate at No. 6 and Sonny Styles at No. 7.

The pick: LSU CB Mansoor Delane

Bleacher Report’s mock has the Bengals going for help in the secondary. But their mock has Bailey, Downs and Bain all off the board before Cincinnati goes on the clock at No. 10.

As a result, they have the Bengals adding to a deep group at corner with the selection of Delane, who had two interceptions and 11 pass breakups last season at LSU.

“He presents prototypical size at 6′0″ and 190 pounds, while showing off impressive football IQ and scheme versatility. All the while, he maintains a physical presence on the boundary against any wide receiver and attacks the catch-point aggressively,” Bleacher Report draft scout Daniel Harms posted.

The pick: Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk

The top edge rushers in this class again elude the Bengals in Baumgardner’s mock. He does have them going for an edge rusher with Faulk at No. 10, passing over Downs to do so.

Baumgardner likened Faulk to 2025 first-round pick Mykel Williams, who went 11th to the 49ers.

While Faulk, like Williams, didn’t have high-end production in college, Baumgardner sees some comparisons to Jaguars star Travon Walker.

“He’s a twitchy and relentless hammer off the edge who could line up anywhere once he gets comfortable,” he wrote.

Baumgardner’s mock was three rounds long. He had the Bengals using their second-round pick to select Tennessee corner Colton Hood and their third-round pick on LSU safety A.J. Haulcy.

The pick: Downs

Our mock roundup ends with Downs being the pick by Chadwick to the Bengals at No. 10. He joins Renner and Rogers in having Cincinnati taking the Ohio State star.

“The Bengals haven’t had a true star at safety since they let Jessie Bates III walk in the 2023 offseason. In fact, Cincinnati’s safeties have combined for the lowest PFF grade as a unit over the past three years (53.7),” Chadwick wrote. “Downs would change the team’s trajectory at the position after garnering an elite 93.6 PFF overall grade for his college career.”