Let\u2019s take a look at a mock draft through the first five rounds with an additional third-round pick and trade back with the Rams (the Bengals also have two picks in the sixth round and two picks in the seventh round, but we\u2019ll keep those outside the discussion).<\/p>\n
\u2022 1 (13): Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
\u2022 2 (41): Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas
\u2022 3 (72): Markel Bell, OT, Miami
\u2022 3 (93 from LAR): Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge, Penn State
\u2022 4 (110): Connor Lew, C, Auburn<\/p>\n
Adding the pick would give the Bengals one of the top corners in the draft while allowing them to grab a higher-quality edge rusher and hit the backup center conversation before the candidates are picked over. It\u2019s a long way from No. 110 to their next pick at 189 in the sixth round.<\/p>\n
With this haul in mind, let\u2019s add in one more move you could see the Bengals make. The Bengals have slowed on what used to be their No. 1 draft weekend move. The Bengals moved back in the second round and added picks four times from 2017 to \u201921.<\/p>\n
There were opportunities the past two years to move back, but Cincinnati felt motivated to snag Kris Jenkins and Demetrius Knight Jr. rather than jeopardize missing out by moving back. That was particularly surprising with Knight, but remaking the linebacker room was such a high priority that the Bengals just picked the player they liked.<\/p>\n
Still, the strength of this draft lies between the 40th and 75th picks, where teams will be getting a similar-level player throughout that range. If that\u2019s the case, the Bengals could be a candidate to slip back, potentially add a fourth or fifth to check off more boxes without really losing out on much.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s take a look at what a trade back in the second round could mean. In each of the second-round trades the Bengals made, they never went back more than 10 spots. Under that assumption, a move back would warrant a fourth- or fifth-rounder.<\/p>\n
In this scenario, they move back with the Falcons seven spots, and that equates to a fourth-round pick, Atlanta\u2019s No. 122.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s that full mock draft:<\/p>\n
\u2022 1 (13): Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
\u2022 2 (48): Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati
\u2022 3 (72): Markel Bell, OT, Miami
\u2022 3 (93 from Rams): Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge, Penn State
\u2022 4 (110): Connor Lew, OC, Auburn
\u2022 4 (122 from Falcons): Nick Barrett, DT, South Carolina<\/p>\n
There are four potential swing tackles available beyond a clear top seven who figure to fly off the board in the top 40 picks before the Bengals select. Those are Florida\u2019s Austin Barber, Northwestern\u2019s Caleb Tiernan, Miami\u2019s Markel Bell and Iowa\u2019s Gennings Dunker.<\/p>\n
Adding picks in the third and fourth rounds greatly increases the likelihood the Bengals can land one of them to help secure depth behind starters Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims. That will prove a critical aspect of Day 2 for the Bengals. It also keeps the third-round edge rusher in play under the assumption they don\u2019t go for one with the first two picks.<\/p>\n
The addition of a fourth-round pick opens up a wealth of options, including an aggressive run at adding a receiver such as Georgia State\u2019s Ted Hurst rather than waiting until the sixth round. In this case, however, it offers up a chance to keep taking shots at improving the pass rush with Barrett, who specialized in rushing the quarterback in the SEC.<\/p>\n
![\"South](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_28346975-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n South Carolina\u2019s Nick Barrett could be a possible Day 3 option for the Bengals. (Kirby Lee \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
The difference between the trade-back draft and the stick-and-pick is notable. If players like Downs or Hill are not there, the idea of focusing on quantity over quality could become an enticing option.<\/p>\n
If the current trend is to serve as a judge, both scenarios will prove moot, with the Bengals adding to the 21 consecutive selections without moving. We\u2019ll see if the draft phone is functional this go-around.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Daniel Jeremiah and Mina Kimes were doing a recent mock draft podcast, the idea of the Cincinnati…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":860891,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5],"tags":[256,7,49,48],"class_list":{"0":"post-860890","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-cincinnati-bengals","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-ncaa","11":"tag-ncaa-football"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116369146515262100","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860890","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=860890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860890\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/860891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}