Potentially Elite Options Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Caleb Downs catches a ball during Pro Day for NFL scouts at the Woody Hayes Athletics Center on March 25, 2026. | Adam Cairns\/Columbus Dispatch \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n He had Downs going to them at Pick 10 and Woods at Pick 41.<\/p>\n “This would pretty much be a dream scenario,”\u00a0Edholm wrote last week.<\/a>\u00a0“Who knows if Downs is even available for the Bengals at 10, or if Woods could somehow make it all the way to 41? But there were good defensive options beyond those two for Cincinnati in both slots. Pairing Downs with free agent\u00a0Bryan Cook\u00a0would give the Bengals the most upgraded safety room in the league, and landing Woods would prevent them from having to sign a veteran inside. I was ready to take a linebacker at No. 41, but\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0glad I passed, as there were quality LB options when\u00a0Cincinnati’s\u00a0Round 3 pick (No. 72) came up.”<\/p>\n According to the Mock Draft\u00a0Database’s\u00a0consensus big board, Downs is ranked ninth overall and first among safeties, while Woods is ranked 26th overall and first among defensive tackles.<\/p>\n Getting the consensus two best players to fill two of the weakest spots on the team last season would be a nice way to get rolling on April 23 and 24th, while notching major big board value along the way.<\/p>\n There are a lot of names to parse through for the Bengals director of player personnel, Duke Tobin.\u00a0He’s\u00a0looking for leadership, among other traits, from his 2026 draft picks.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be a leader, though, you gotta have\u00a0skins\u00a0in the wall and you gotta play effectively,”\u00a0Tobin said<\/a>\u00a0at the 2026 NFL Combine.\u00a0“And the rest of your teammates have to know that you are producing at a high level.\u00a0It’s\u00a0hard to lead when\u00a0you’re\u00a0not out on the field or when\u00a0you’re\u00a0not producing well.\u00a0So the\u00a0first trait of a good leader is production, which\u00a0is actually producing in a way\u00a0that everyone respects and wants to\u00a0mimic.\u00a0So you have to have that. And then you have to have the outward charisma.\u00a0And\u00a0you’ve\u00a0also\u00a0gotta\u00a0be willing to have tough conversations with people.<\/p>\n “And so finding leaders sounds easy, but there are a lot of components that go into that.\u00a0And there are\u00a0a\u00a0lot of\u00a0different leadership styles that can work.\u00a0And I think\u00a0we’ve\u00a0got\u00a0some\u00a0inside of\u00a0our own building\u00a0that’ll\u00a0continue to evolve and grow in those roles.\u00a0And then if we can find some ready-made guys who have the skins on the wall that come in and help us in those areas,\u00a0that’ll\u00a0be good.\u201d<\/p>\n Check out the full best-case\u00a0scenario list from Edholm here<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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