The latest mock draft released by ESPN this morning has the Bengals taking Rueben Bain Jr. Edge from Miami. 

ESPN's Mel Kiper released his mock draft this morning ahead of the NFL Combine and like the previous mock draft it still has the Bengals taking Rueben Bain Jr. with the 10th pick in the first round.

I would prefer Downs, if the defense was solid elsewhere.   Unfortunately, it's not, and the best player available needs to be the pick.  If Bain is there, he should be the pick over Downs.

9 minutes ago, REALSPORT said:

I would prefer Downs

I doubt he will be there by pick#10 he is projected to go to the Jets with the #2 pick currently.

3 minutes ago, 16thBBall Fan said:

I doubt he will be there by pick#10 he is projected to go to the Jets with the #2 pick currently.

The Jets need even more help than the Bengals do.  I view safety as more of a finishing piece, but maybe other teams want to build from the backend.  

3 hours ago, REALSPORT said:

I would prefer Downs, if the defense was solid elsewhere.   Unfortunately, it's not, and the best player available needs to be the pick.  If Bain is there, he should be the pick over Downs.

While I like Downs and think he will be a great player. If the Bengals have a chance to get a stud pass rusher, that is more valuable than Downs IMO. All these good defenses have good defensive lines. Much like how the Ravens have one of the best safeties in the NFL in Hamilton. Their defense wasn't good this past year, because of not having a good defensive line that could rush the passer. For me if they could get any of the top 3 pass rushers, I would take them over Downs. I would even strongly consider Woods, because I think he is going to be a stud DT in this league, and finding a good DT is hard to find. However, at that point Downs is more of a can't miss than Woods, so you have to take Downs. 

Bengals should trade the 10th pick and drop back some and get more picks. They have to many needs.

The Duke has spoken!

13 hours ago, theguru said:

The Duke has spoken!

This guy has to have dirt on the Brown family.  

19 hours ago, MaddenCurse44 said:

Bengals should trade the 10th pick and drop back some and get more picks. They have to many needs.

The main time the Bengals actually draft well is when they have top 10 type picks, so trading back isn't a great move for them. As they almost need to get those can't miss type guys to hit on draft picks. The only way they should trade back, is if the 9 picks in front of them literally take almost every top defensive guy. In that case, then yeah might as well trade back if they can. 

The key though is for them to do what they did in 2021 and actually try to fill a lot of those needs in Free Agency. This way they don't have to use the draft to fill needs, and focus on getting best player available. 

11 hours ago, futurecoach said:

The main time the Bengals actually draft well is when they have top 10 type picks, so trading back isn't a great move for them. As they almost need to get those can't miss type guys to hit on draft picks. The only way they should trade back, is if the 9 picks in front of them literally take almost every top defensive guy. In that case, then yeah might as well trade back if they can. 

The key though is for them to do what they did in 2021 and actually try to fill a lot of those needs in Free Agency. This way they don't have to use the draft to fill needs, and focus on getting best player available. 

The Bengals try to go into the draft with no needs. They sign free agents to fill their needs. Then they go for best player on their board. If the player rankings are close, they choose the player that also fills a need. The thing they need to do this year is sign better quality free agents. They need to step it up on the free agent signings. They need free agent players who are no doubt starters.

Edited February 26Feb 26 by Voice of Reason

52 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

The Bengals try to go into the draft with no needs. They sign free agents to fill their needs. Then they go for best player on their board. If the player rankings are close, they choose the player that also fills a need. The thing they need to do this year is sign better quality free agents. They need to step it up on the free agent signings. They need free agent players who are no doubt starters.

Agreed! Them hitting on almost all their free agents in 2021 paved the way to that Super Bowl. They need to be able to do that again. 

From the NFLPA.  The Bengals have a long way to go, especially on game day and with families. 

The Cincinnati Bengals finish 24th, but to their credit, the club has made significant changes over the last two years. They rebuilt the team’s training room and locker room, and they increased the number of meals provided for their players during the week.

They also hired people with whom the players enjoy working. When asked what the team does best, the players consistently point to the leadership of head coach Zac Taylor and mention the hard-working support staff.

There are still a few areas where the team lags behind the rest of the league. First, the players want to see continued improvements to the food program, including a full-time dietitian to maximize their training, and an even greater number of meals provided for them at the facility.

Another major concern is the lack of support for players’ families. The Bengals are one of only three teams without gameday daycare, one of 10 without a family room, and the only team in the league to provide neither. They also score very low on the quality of the post-game family area, and the number of family events the team organizes remains low.

https://nflpa.com/report-cards/2025/cincinnati-bengals

From Lance:

Over-The-Cap has updated the salary cap numbers for each NFL team, following today's official news of the cap going to $301M in 2026.