{"id":723684,"date":"2026-02-02T12:38:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T12:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/723684\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T12:38:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T12:38:18","slug":"power-ranking-the-bengals-5-best-first-round-nfl-draft-options","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/723684\/","title":{"rendered":"Power ranking the Bengals\u2019 5 best first-round NFL draft options"},"content":{"rendered":"

CINCINNATI, Ohio \u2014 As a result of their disappointing 6-11 2025 season, the Bengals<\/a> have the 10th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

The good news for them is that there are plenty of defensive players who could help fix some of the many holes Cincinnati has on that side of the ball.<\/p>\n

Some fixes will probably be coming in free agency, which could obviously play a role in who they pick in the first round. But which players should they be after with the 10th pick?<\/p>\n

In case you missed it, this is the final part of our three-part series looking at this offseason for the Bengals. Here are the other two parts:<\/p>\n

5 defensive free agents the Bengals should target: The roadmap to Cincinnati\u2019s ideal 2026 offseason<\/a>What is the Bengals\u2019 sneakiest need to fill on offense? The roadmap to Cincinnati\u2019s ideal 2026 offseason<\/a><\/p>\n

Here are my power rankings of the five best options for the Bengals. <\/p>\n

5. Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles<\/p>\n

As a spoiler, all five of these players are going to be defensive players. Styles\u2019 teammate, Arvell Reese, is almost guaranteed to not be an option for the Bengals at pick No. 10.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t necessarily believe this will be the worst-case scenario option because I feel right now that at least two of these five players will be available. So this is me making a case for Styles to be a top-10 pick.<\/p>\n

He is as physically gifted a linebacker as there is in this draft at 6-5, 243 pounds, and he is a true three-down player. With the struggles the Bengals had at linebacker last season, Styles could help fill that role if they don\u2019t bring in a veteran to help.<\/p>\n

While I don\u2019t necessarily know if Styles is worth this pick, he makes more sense to me than drafting an offensive player. I also like Styles for the Bengals more than Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk, who provides more value as a run-stopping defensive end rather than a true pass rusher, which is what the Bengals really need. <\/p>\n

4. Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods <\/p>\n

Woods may be the least flashy pick of the ones who are good options for the Bengals at 10th overall. He\u2019s clearly the top defensive tackle in this class, but the position itself is as tough as there is when it comes to transitioning to the pros. So if the Bengals draft Woods, don\u2019t expect immediate dividends.<\/p>\n

That said, Woods is a legitimate top-15 pick. He has pro-ready size at 6-3, 310 pounds, and he is very explosive in the interior, which is something the Bengals could use more of.<\/p>\n

Woods is a better run defender than a pass rusher, which is notable because of Cincinnati\u2019s need for linemen who can get after the quarterback. But the Bengals had the NFL\u2019s worst rushing defense in 2025, thus making Woods a great potential fit for them.<\/p>\n

He might not be an instant impact player because of the position he plays. However, Woods is still a worthy investment in the future of the Bengals defense nonetheless. <\/p>\n

3. Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey<\/p>\n

I know the Bengals have used two first-round picks on defensive ends in the last three years (Myles Murphy in 2023, Shemar Stewart in 2025). But Bailey is a different level of prospect than either of those two players were in their respective draft cycles.<\/p>\n

Bailey, whom I had mocked to the Bengals back in January<\/a>, is one of the most dynamic defensive players in this entire class. His 14.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles made him the fixture of a very exciting Texas Tech defense.<\/p>\n

He has solid though not spectacular size at 6-3, 250 pounds. But despite that, he provides the explosiveness and energy off the edge that can be the focal point of a pass rush. <\/p>\n

2. Ohio State safety Caleb Downs<\/p>\n

Downs is one of two players on this list that I think are more likely than not to go off the board before the Bengals pick at No. 10. But if Downs is available, he might fill quite a crucial need for the Bengals.<\/p>\n

The safety position is one of the more glaring needs for the Bengals. Geno Stone will be a free agent this March, and Jordan Battle will be in the last year of his rookie contract. Both Stone and Battle were among the NFL leaders in missed tackles.<\/p>\n

Downs has been a good tackler with just nine missed tackles in 2025. He is also very good in coverage and an intelligent defender. I think he\u2019s the type of player who could be as impactful as Kyle Hamilton has been with the Ravens.<\/p>\n

But I think it\u2019s because of Hamilton that Downs could go before the Bengals pick. Teams won\u2019t want to pass on another impact safety like Downs in the top 10 just because of the position he plays. <\/p>\n

1. Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr.<\/p>\n

While I\u2019ve felt like Downs is probably the best-case scenario for the Bengals, I do have to put Bain here at No. 1 on this list. Bain might go much, much earlier than No. 10, but there at least feels like a slim chance that he will last this long. <\/p>\n

The 6-3, 270-pound Bain was already considered by many as the top pure edge rusher in this class. His impact play to lead Miami to the national championship game only helped his cause.<\/p>\n

Among all players with at least 111 snaps, Bain had far and away the most quarterback hurries (68) and was eighth in pass rush win rate (23.9%) according to PFF<\/a>. He also had 9.5 sacks and 15.5 TFLs. <\/p>\n

The pure explosiveness and power Bain plays with make him a potential star in the making and a player who can anchor a defensive line for years to come.<\/p>\n

Like I said earlier, the only defender who definitely won\u2019t last to the Bengals is Arvell Reese. Bain isn\u2019t likely to fall that far either. However, if he does last this long, the Bengals would be smart to pounce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CINCINNATI, Ohio \u2014 As a result of their disappointing 6-11 2025 season, the Bengals have the 10th pick…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":723685,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2053],"tags":[228,227,256,2296,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-723684","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cincinnati-bengals","8":"tag-bengals","9":"tag-cincinnati","10":"tag-cincinnati-bengals","11":"tag-cincinnatibengals","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116001079599219442","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=723684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/723684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/723685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=723684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=723684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=723684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}