“It’s the most wonderful time..of the year..”

6 minutes ago, Le Tigre said:

“It’s the most wonderful time..of the year..”

I honestly can't wait to sit on YouTube and watch player cut-ups lol

1 hour ago, Gary said:

In the 2nd round I would be looking at a guy like Lee Hunter. 3rd round a CB like Colton Hood. In the 4th maybe a hybrid DL like R Mason Thomas.

Who knows.. I didn't get to watch much college FB, but I have been watching vids of the prospects on the defensive side.

How do you all feel about Myles Murphy going forward? In the second half of the season has he shown enough to not draft someone to potentially replace him?

Lee Hunter isn't just a big fat guy. Has really good movement skills. Caleb Banks (Florida) missed most of this past fall with injury but he's a load who can move the pocket, too. Will be interesting to see how his offseason goes, and how he checks out medically.

16 hours ago, Jungletiger said:

KC take Downs to spite us

they have all kinda of needs, OL, RB, Defense, if chris jones retires that defense starts looking like 2024 bengals defense.. got a couple guys still but huge holes in between.

14 hours ago, claptonrocks said:

No..they take him if he's there because he's

an outstanding player ..

I think they go z,,Jeremiah Love to take the load off Mahomes.

If Downs goes still happy if Bailey on board.

After that dunno.

Woods the DT wouldnt be bad, and then SABB from bama in the 2nd id be happy.. Sabb is a fast decision making hitter, smart kid, watched a podcast with him on it...

14 hours ago, claptonrocks said:

Donte Moore has stayed he's not ready for NFL yet.

Another yr grooming his craft with huge nil money keeps him in Oregon.

Must adjust draft to that fact.

Changed things...m

oh snap, he will be coming off boards then... will another QB move up 20 spots for tha reason? they usually do/// someone has to be falling in love with a guy.

5 hours ago, Griever said:

sifting through mock draft info is tougher these days, slop sites throwing collective slop together, suddenly is the public opinion... which hurts my soul at it deepest point.

2 hours ago, Gary said:

I like Bailey, Bain or Downs. Whoever falls to us in that order. If no Bailey then Bain, if no Bailey and Bain, then Downs. One of those three should be available. Then in the 2nd round I would go after DL run stopper, and probably a CB in the 3rd, and another DL in the 4th. On the interior line DLs I would make sure they are strictly run stoppers, one maybe a hybrid rusher/run stopper.

****IF YOU CLICK THE NAMES ABOVE IT WILL TAKE YOU TO THEIR FOOTBALL REFERENCE PAGE.****

Woods also, a menace DT makes Stewert and Murphys lives easier, stunting with BJ hill is a lost cause at his age, put a mac truck murderer in there and the athleticism of a stewert or murphy can shine much brighter.

47 minutes ago, GoBengals said:

they have all kinda of needs, OL, RB, Defense, if chris jones retires that defense starts looking like 2024 bengals defense.. got a couple guys still but huge holes in between.

Woods the DT wouldnt be bad, and then SABB from bama in the 2nd id be happy.. Sabb is a fast decision making hitter, smart kid, watched a podcast with him on it...

oh snap, he will be coming off boards then... will another QB move up 20 spots for tha reason? they usually do/// someone has to be falling in love with a guy.

sifting through mock draft info is tougher these days, slop sites throwing collective slop together, suddenly is the public opinion... which hurts my soul at it deepest point.

Woods also, a menace DT makes Stewert and Murphys lives easier, stunting with BJ hill is a lost cause at his age, put a mac truck murderer in there and the athleticism of a stewert or murphy can shine much brighter.

Zero issues with drafting a beast DT. That'd make everyone's lives easier, not just the other DL. Pass rush was practically nonexistent through much of the year & the run defense not much better. With Stone gone they're likely planning to plug in a rookie safety. I think they need to resist that urge and address it FA, while still being open to drafting a top DB.

Like, it's cool to build through the draft but it's not cool to try and patch holes that way. Don't keep using the 2-3 years rookies can take to develop as an excuse while dropping them into the starting line-up on their first day in camp. That's just poor planning.

KC's biggest need imo is Oline, but they also have needs on D, Safety might be a luxury for them

12 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

Zero issues with drafting a beast DT. That'd make everyone's lives easier, not just the other DL. Pass rush was practically nonexistent through much of the year & the run defense not much better. With Stone gone they're likely planning to plug in a rookie safety. I think they need to resist that urge and address it FA, while still being open to drafting a top DB.

Like, it's cool to build through the draft but it's not cool to try and patch holes that way. Don't keep using the 2-3 years rookies can take to develop as an excuse while dropping them into the starting line-up on their first day in camp. That's just poor planning.

100%, just depends on the player, that they will know when they have pre draft meetings, they do some good play formation testing and questioning then, at the same time if you get a high IQ player, some of the learning curve must come on the field.. would it be great to do that is spurts behind a vet? yes, but you just have to weigh the talent difference, if the rookie is a 9/10 athlete/player and the vet is a 6/10 athlete player, whats going to be worse? the young rookie mistakes or the not good enough mistakes?

with a guy like Downs, he should be a plug and play guy, the way his football IQ is talked about, his abilities should far far outweigh any on field learning needed. A guy like Sabb, it may be nice to have a vet to start the first 2-6 weeks and he sprinkle in more and more snaps as the weeks pass. but a top two round pick should likely be on the filed most of the time fairly quickly.

5 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

KC's biggest need imo is Oline, but they also have needs on D, Safety might be a luxury for them

thats the hope

22 hours ago, GoBengals said:

So if we assume this:

Why is Tate’s name in green? Don’t tell me that guy has an NIL deal with an Android company like Samsung.

1 minute ago, SF2 said:

Why is Tate’s name in green? Don’t tell me that guy has an NIL deal with an Android company like Samsung.

lol i was probably hovering over his name when i made the screen shot.

6 minutes ago, GoBengals said:

100%, just depends on the player, that they will know when they have pre draft meetings, they do some good play formation testing and questioning then, at the same time if you get a high IQ player, some of the learning curve must come on the field.. would it be great to do that is spurts behind a vet? yes, but you just have to weigh the talent difference, if the rookie is a 9/10 athlete/player and the vet is a 6/10 athlete player, whats going to be worse? the young rookie mistakes or the not good enough mistakes?

with a guy like Downs, he should be a plug and play guy, the way his football IQ is talked about, his abilities should far far outweigh any on field learning needed. A guy like Sabb, it may be nice to have a vet to start the first 2-6 weeks and he sprinkle in more and more snaps as the weeks pass. but a top two round pick should likely be on the filed most of the time fairly quickly.

thats the hope

Any rookie is going to do rookie shit at times, so much better when they can pull them aside for a series to coach them without creating some obvious hole the other team will immediately exploit. I think Marvin was pretty good about having that plan B, or a sort of placeholder option so the draft picks were out there when they were ready. The whole Caleb Miller, Landon Johnson era is harder to explain.

Sitting Carson behind Kitna for a year was hard to stomach, though.

34 minutes ago, GoBengals said:

thats the hope

I feel like there is always a two QBs taken in the top 5 and usually a tackle or two, and a DE as well. You figure Reese is gone, and a WR maybe 2 and Love at RB.

That's 7-8 picks right there that could potentially push Downs down (see what I did there, lol)

I think my backup pick that I'd like is this DT our of Clemson, he's supposed to be an elite run stopper, and other than not being able to stop TEs, we had some problems against the running games too.

34 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

Any rookie is going to do rookie shit at times, so much better when they can pull them aside for a series to coach them without creating some obvious hole the other team will immediately exploit. I think Marvin was pretty good about having that plan B, or a sort of placeholder option so the draft picks were out there when they were ready. The whole Caleb Miller, Landon Johnson era is harder to explain.

Sitting Carson behind Kitna for a year was hard to stomach, though.

marv also had plenty of veteran slightly washed up defensive guys on deck to play, the kim herrings or the world. the nate websters, so on and so on...

6 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

I feel like there is always a two QBs taken in the top 5 and usually a tackle or two, and a DE as well. You figure Reese is gone, and a WR maybe 2 and Love at RB.

That's 7-8 picks right there that could potentially push Downs down (see what I did there, lol)

I think my backup pick that I'd like is this DT our of Clemson, he's supposed to be an elite run stopper, and other than not being able to stop TEs, we had some problems against the running games too.

going to be interesting how it plays out.. pressure is the biggest factor nt heTE's from what i recall in the season, lots of those exploside TE plays took a LOT of time to develop,

3 hours ago, GoBengals said:

they have all kinda of needs, OL, RB, Defense, if chris jones retires that defense starts looking like 2024 bengals defense.. got a couple guys still but huge holes in between.

Woods the DT wouldnt be bad, and then SABB from bama in the 2nd id be happy.. Sabb is a fast decision making hitter, smart kid, watched a podcast with him on it...

oh snap, he will be coming off boards then... will another QB move up 20 spots for tha reason? they usually do/// someone has to be falling in love with a guy.

sifting through mock draft info is tougher these days, slop sites throwing collective slop together, suddenly is the public opinion... which hurts my soul at it deepest point.

Woods also, a menace DT makes Stewert and Murphys lives easier, stunting with BJ hill is a lost cause at his age, put a mac truck murderer in there and the athleticism of a stewert or murphy can shine much brighter.

Bengals won't take Bailey unless they redo their draft model. He doesn't fit their size parameters, the last DE the Bengals drafted who was under 265 was Alfred Collins. Faulk or maybe Bain are more in the model the Bengals like.

2 hours ago, Jamie_B said:

KC's biggest need imo is Oline, but they also have needs on D, Safety might be a luxury for them

Chiefs are probably going to lose Bryan Cook so they may well take Downs as a BPA who fits a need pick.

https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/1098592/nfl-mock-draft-2026-updated-projection-first-round-qbs

10. Cincinnati Bengals: Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

The Cincinnati Bengals need help almost everywhere on defense.

Why not add a defender who can play almost anywhere? Put positional value aside, Caleb Downs might be one of the best players in this entire class.

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/2026-nfl-mock-draft-updated-nfl-playoffs-wild-card-weekend-fernando-mendoza-dante-moore-jeremiyah-love

10. Cincinnati Bengals

Peter Woods | DL | Clemson

This defense needs help at every level, and that kind of rebuild should always start in the trenches. The biggest need is along the interior, where the Bengals need an every-down presence who can dominate at the point of attack against the run, as well as push the pocket from the inside as a pass rusher. Woods checks every box, with rare athleticism for his size, and all the power you’d expect from the best interior defender in the class.

ESPN.com

Las Vegas is on the clock! Reid's updated NFL mock draft...

Which QB fits with the Raiders at No. 1? How high could Jeremiyah Love go? Will the Buckeyes run the first round? Let's project the first 32 picks for April.

10. Cincinnati Bengals (6-11)

Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State*

A safety hasn't been picked in the top 10 since the Jets took Jamal Adams with the No. 6 pick in the 2017 draft, but Downs is one of the three best players in this year's class. His versatility, sure tackling and instincts would eliminate a lot of the problems that Cincinnati had on the back end this season, as coordinator Al Golden's defense gave up a league-high 6.2 yards per play. By contrast, Downs allowed only 3.6 yards per passing attempt into his coverage this season (11th lowest in the FBS). With Geno Stone set to be an unrestricted free agent, Downs could slot into the Bengals' secondary nicely.

https://www.theringer.com/2026/01/06/nfl-draft/2026-nfl-mock-draft-fernando-mendoza-dante-moore-raiders

10

Cincinnati Bengals

CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

Getty Images

McCoy could be just what the doctor ordered for the Bengals pass defense, which ranked among the worst in almost every meaningful metric. The Volunteers star missed all of the 2025 season after tearing his ACL, but his reaction speed, ball skills, and instincts are all apparent on his 2024 tape. 

11 hours ago, sparky151 said:

Bengals won't take Bailey unless they redo their draft model. He doesn't fit their size parameters, the last DE the Bengals drafted who was under 265 was Alfred Collins. Faulk or maybe Bain are more in the model the Bengals like.

Chiefs are probably going to lose Bryan Cook so they may well take Downs as a BPA who fits a need pick.

God forbid the team thinks outside the broken box and drafts a productive DE over a non productive traits guy

31 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

https://www.theringer.com/2026/01/06/nfl-draft/2026-nfl-mock-draft-fernando-mendoza-dante-moore-raiders

10

Cincinnati Bengals

CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

Getty Images

McCoy could be just what the doctor ordered for the Bengals pass defense, which ranked among the worst in almost every meaningful metric. The Volunteers star missed all of the 2025 season after tearing his ACL, but his reaction speed, ball skills, and instincts are all apparent on his 2024 tape. 

Yay…more damaged goods!

9 hours ago, I_C_Deadpeople said:

God forbid the team thinks outside the broken box and drafts a productive DE over a non productive traits guy

Yeah, Bengals draft model should be scrapped but I'm sure they have some "analysis" proving they are great drafters with that model.

Picking McCoy is just the sort of thing the Bengals would do. "He looks great on tape" from before blowing out his knee.

9 hours ago, Le Tigre said:

Yay…more damaged goods!

Came here to say this.

On 1/5/2026 at 8:05 PM, sparky151 said:

Bengals won't take Bailey unless they redo their draft model. He doesn't fit their size parameters, the last DE the Bengals drafted who was under 265 was Alfred Collins. Faulk or maybe Bain are more in the model the Bengals like.

Chiefs are probably going to lose Bryan Cook so they may well take Downs as a BPA who fits a need pick.

im not sure the bengals have a draft model for DE's. you really have to take account for the realities of the sitaution. how many DE's ahve they drafted? what percentage of DE's are UNDER 265? its not like the bengals are overlooking then all and taking athe big guy..

i just looked at the first 5 DE's taken in the draft, and 3 of them are listed as linebackers in the NFL. so we are talking about two different positions, a 3 down DE vs a pass rusher edge OLB.

on top of that, how many top 3 round DE's have the bengals drafted in the last 10 years? *** quick side note, Stewerrt weighs 267 *** so splitting hairs there, but sure... trey weighs 265 also... hubbard also 265 before that youre looking at will clarke in 2014... thats a different league style all together over a decade ago.. how much vaidity does that data even play in a tendency?

ok so lets take it a step further...

whats the size of the top pass rushers in the nfl:

myles garret is 272, bengals gotta be fucking idiots to draft anyone the same or similar size as a guy who is the NFL sack leader at 25 sacks.. fucking fools honestly...

hutchenson is 268

Tuli from chargers is 266

parson is 250 and hurt again

burns is 250 as a OLB

hunter is 263

so honestly what is your point here? they ahvent traded a OLB edge style DE? in the 3 DE's theyve drafted in the last 10 years?

this doesnt seem like data worth talking about let alone any data that shows some sort of pattern.... and most importantly isnt data that points to successfull players with the majority of the top sack getters being the same size as the bengals draft picks...

so whats the point here?

14 hours ago, Jamie_B said:

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/2026-nfl-mock-draft-updated-nfl-playoffs-wild-card-weekend-fernando-mendoza-dante-moore-jeremiyah-love

10. Cincinnati Bengals

Peter Woods | DL | Clemson

This defense needs help at every level, and that kind of rebuild should always start in the trenches. The biggest need is along the interior, where the Bengals need an every-down presence who can dominate at the point of attack against the run, as well as push the pocket from the inside as a pass rusher. Woods checks every box, with rare athleticism for his size, and all the power you’d expect from the best interior defender in the class.

this is who i thinkthe BPA is on the board when we pick if Downs is gone.

14 hours ago, Jamie_B said:

https://www.theringer.com/2026/01/06/nfl-draft/2026-nfl-mock-draft-fernando-mendoza-dante-moore-raiders

10

Cincinnati Bengals

CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee

Getty Images

McCoy could be just what the doctor ordered for the Bengals pass defense, which ranked among the worst in almost every meaningful metric. The Volunteers star missed all of the 2025 season after tearing his ACL, but his reaction speed, ball skills, and instincts are all apparent on his 2024 tape. 

CB seems like the least vital addition but it would bolster the room to a top 5 room if the last 8-9 weeks shows who we have.. without a good pass rush its partially moot still, but damn

14 hours ago, I_C_Deadpeople said:

God forbid the team thinks outside the broken box and drafts a productive DE over a non productive traits guy

just to be clear......

some guy on a forum posted data that makes no sense and has nothing to do with success or anything in the last decade.

they stated they bengals havent drafted DE under 265 in 20+ years, as if thats a bad thing..... ignoring that most all of the top sacks leaders are 265lbs.....

so why would anyone care?

you beleived it,, assumed it meant they were doing bad.. and scolded them for a fake "mold" they "dont break" and its not even data that the most successful pass rushed are lighter than..

this is the absolute hell we live in...

this is why everything sucks.

4 hours ago, sparky151 said:

Yeah, Bengals draft model should be scrapped but I'm sure they have some "analysis" proving they are great drafters with that model.

Picking McCoy is just the sort of thing the Bengals would do. "He looks great on tape" from before blowing out his knee.

again, there is no draft model....

when have they picked a guy who looked great before a huge injury and picked them?

let alone for it to be commonplace activity...

yall really sit in here make up fake scenarios, pretend they are real.. and mock the bengals for your fake information...

what hell world is this.

35 minutes ago, GoBengals said:

when have they picked a guy who looked great before a huge injury and picked them?

Weathersby? John Ross? Ogbuehi? (Ok, ok, Ross never looked "great" on tape and Cedric didn't even look "good", so you win on those).

The point (of course) isn't specifically the Bengals taking injured players, but rather damaged players. That can mean physical, mental or emotional. If you figure you can stuff a straw man to rage on that they haven't done that as a consistent pattern over the past 25+ years, well, have at it hoss.