{"id":848615,"date":"2026-04-02T04:52:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T04:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/848615\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T04:52:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T04:52:40","slug":"cincinnati-goes-all-out-for-athleticism-thanks-to-brand-new-mock-draft-simulator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/848615\/","title":{"rendered":"Cincinnati goes all-out for athleticism thanks to brand new mock draft simulator"},"content":{"rendered":"

A to Z Sports has launched its brand new mock draft simulator and we\u2019re celebrating with a new 7-round Bengals mock draft.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"\"
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTexas Tech players Lee Hunter (left) and Jacob Rodriguez (back) celebrate Romello Height\u2019s fumble recover against BYU during the Big 12 Conference championship football game, Saturday, Nov. 6, 2025, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9 Nathan Giese\/Avalanche-Journal \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

In order to predict and explain real world events, follow the money. In order to predict and explain how the Cincinnati Bengals will tackle the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a>, or any draft for that matter, follow the athleticism.<\/p>\n

Cincinnati has repeatedly looked for value in head-turning athletes with quality combinations of height-weight-speed. Shemar Stewart<\/a>, Amarius Mims, Jermaine Burton, and Andrei Iosivas are just a few examples in recent years. Traits are what become prioritized in the Bengals\u2019 war room, and that isn\u2019t going away. <\/p>\n

How can the Bengals find these athletes in the upcoming draft? We used our brand new mock draft simulator to search for them in every round.<\/p>\n

The A to Z Sports NFL mock draft simulator offers a deeply customizable and data-driven experience with never-before-seen features.\u00a0Try the mock draft simulator today,<\/a>\u00a0before the 2026 NFL Draft arrives.<\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 10: Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State<\/p>\n

\"OhioOhio State Buckeyes linebacker Sonny Styles (0) pressures Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) during the Big Ten Conference championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Dec. 6, 2025. Ohio State lost 13-10. \u00a9 Adam Cairns\/Columbus Dispatch \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Sonny Styles is the best overall linebacker in this class, and part of that is because of how insane of an athlete he is. Styles blazed a 4.46 40-yard dash and amazingly elevated 43.5\u2033 and 134\u2033 in the vertical and broad jumps, respectively, at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine. He\u2019s a 93rd percentile athlete at his size of 6-5, 244 pounds, and he\u2019d be a freak of nature the Bengals would welcome with open arms. <\/p>\n

Round 2, Pick 41: Chase Bisontis, G, Texas A&M<\/p>\n

\"DecDec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies offensive lineman Chase Bisontis (71) blocks the rush during the game between the Aggies and the Hurricanes at Kyle Field.Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The idea of an interior offensive lineman being drafted this early to Cincinnati shouldn\u2019t be dismissed, and Chase Bisontis has the required athleticism of a top-50 pick despite 31.75\u2033 arms. Bisontis ran a 5.02 40-yard dash and an impressive 7.53 3-cone at 6-5, 315 pounds in Indianapolis. He\u2019s far from a finished player at just 21 years old, but sitting behind Dalton Risner for a year while learning from offensive line coach Scott Peters may be an ideal landing spot for him in the long run.<\/p>\n

Round 3, Pick 72: Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech <\/p>\n

\"JanJan 1, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) carries the ball as Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker Romello Height (9) defends during the second half of the 2025 Orange Bowl and quarterfinal game of the College Football Playoff at Hard Rock Stadium.Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The guy who was opposite of likely top-10 pick David Bailey was also quite the pass rusher last year for Texas Tech. Romello Height is smaller (6-3, 239 pounds) than what the Bengals typically look for in an edge defender, but he\u2019s quite fast and explosive nonetheless. He posted a 4.64 40 time and jumps of 39\u2033 and 125\u2033 in the vertical and broad, respectively, at the combine.<\/p>\n

Round 4, Pick 110: Chandler Rivers, CB, Duke<\/p>\n

\"NovNov 15, 2025; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils cornerback Chandler Rivers (0) attempts to swat the ball from Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Trell Harris (11) during the third quarter at Wallace Wade Stadium.Zachary Taft-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

This may be a bit later than when Cincinnati wants to pick a cornerback, but Chandler Rivers would be such a value pick in the fourth round. He\u2019s been one of the most consistent corners in the nation over the past few years for Duke, and confirmed high-level athleticism. He ran 4.40 40-yard dash and really made an impression in the jumps, reaching 39\u2033 and 130\u2033 in the vertical and broad, respectively, after measuring in at 5-10, 185 pounds. <\/p>\n

Round 6, Pick 189: Caleb Douglas, WR, Texas Tech<\/p>\n

\"NovNov 29, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders wide receiver Caleb Douglas (5) makes a catch and runs for extra yards during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium.Ben Queen-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Day 3 receiver pick feels inevitable this year, and Caleb Douglas would certainly fit in with the great athletes already inside the club\u2019s receivers room. While his vertical jump of 31.5\u2033 was lackluster for his size at 6-4, 206 pounds, he zoomed a 4.39 40 time and jumped 126\u2033 in the broad jump. That\u2019ll work for a potential field-stretcher. <\/p>\n

Round 6, Pick 199: John Michael Gyllenborg, TE, Wyoming<\/p>\n

\"NovNov 18, 2023; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; Wyoming Cowboys tight end John Michael Gyllenborg (84) scores a touchdown against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during the first quarter at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium.Troy Babbitt-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a case for John Michael Gyllenborg as the draft\u2019s most athletic tight end. He measured in at 6\u20196, 249 pounds, and ran a 4.6 40-yard dash, jumped 35.5\u2033 for the vertical, 128\u2033 for the broad, and amplified his combine performance with a 4.22 short shuttle. Finding a 93.1 percentile athlete in the sixth-round is always a win.<\/p>\n

Round 7, Pick 221: Xavier Nwankpa, S, Iowa<\/p>\n

\"IowaIowa Hawkeyes defensive back Xavier Nwankpa (1) reacts during a college football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions Oct. 18, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.\u00a9 Julia Hansen\/Iowa City Press-Citizen \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Geno Stone, the last seventh-round safety out of Iowa to play for the Bengals, didn\u2019t pan out. Xavier Nwankpa won\u2019t be expected to start like Stone, and he\u2019s a significantly better athlete anyways. After being measured at 6-2, 208 pounds, Nwankpa ran a 4.48 40 and leaped 37.5\u2033 in the vertical jump.<\/p>\n

Round 7, Pick 226: Eli Heidenreich, RB, Navy<\/p>\n

\"Navy\u2019sNavy\u2019s Eli Heidenreich (22) rushes with the ball during the Liberty Bowl game against the Cincinnati Bearcats on Jan. 2, 2026 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tenn.\u00a9 Stu Boyd II-The Commercial Appeal \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

A military academy athlete to wrap things up! Eli Heidenreich can move, and not just for a serviceman. The 6-0, 198-pound running back clocked a 4.44 40 time. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Feb\t\t<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Bengals News<\/p>\n

Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy\u2019s pro day results are exactly what the Cincinnati Bengals wanted to see.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A to Z Sports has launched its brand new mock draft simulator and we\u2019re celebrating with a new…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":848616,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2053],"tags":[228,227,256,2296,7,28960,6,15,30],"class_list":{"0":"post-848615","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-mock-drafts","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nfl-draft","16":"tag-nfl-mock-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116333324758921866","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848615","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=848615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/848616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=848615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=848615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=848615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}