Bengals help out a rival team but use the chaos to their advantage in latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft
Trades can shake up the 2026 NFL Draft for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Trades will inevitably alter the 2026 NFL Draft order after the clock starts ticking the night of Thursday, April 23.
That’s what our latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft focused on: Chaos via trades. The Cincinnati Bengals ended up being affected by it.
All the madness started with a hypothetical trade featuring the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys. Cleveland traded defensive end Myles Garrett and a 2027 sixth-round selection to the Cowboys for the No. 12, No. 20, a 2027 second-round selection, and wide receiver George Pickens.
With the No. 12 pick in their back pocket, the Browns utilized it to trade up to Cincinnati’s No. 10 pick to select wide receiver Carnell Tate after selecting EDGE David Bailey. The Bengals received Cleveland’s third-round pick in the deal, and drafted a likely target with their new first-round pick.
Bengals trade back to select Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy in latest 2026 NFL Mock Draft
When Cincinnati ended up on the clock with the No. 10 pick, virtually all of the intriguing names were already off the board. The Ohio State trio of EDGE/linebacker Arvell Reese, LB Sonny Styles, and safety Caleb Downs were gone. Running back Jeremiyah Love, cornerback Mansoor Delane, and EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. were taken as well.
There was a clear argument for CB Jermod McCoy being the best player available, so for the Bengals to trade back, add a third-rounder, and still land him is a pretty ideal outcome despite the lackluster scenario that led to the pick. The 20-year old didn’t perform any athletic testing at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, but he is expected to run at his pro day Tuesday. If he runs well, landing him with the No. 12 pick may be a steal.
“If McCoy had been healthy this year, he would almost certainly have gone inside the top-10 selections. If you go back and watch his 2024 film, McCoy is a physical press man cornerback who can run and has notable ball skills to create turnovers.” — A to Z Sports’ Ryan Roberts
McCoy has a great chance of being the favorite when Cincinnati ends up on the clock. Any of the six aforementioned names will be high on the club’s draft board, but all of them could end up taken before the Bengals pick, and trading up in the first round is about as unlikely of an outcome you can expect with the franchise.
With a long-term need at corner, Cincinnati drafting McCoy makes a ton of sense, and acquiring another top-100 pick while doing so despite helping the Browns land the top wideout in Tate is far from the worst case scenario. Garrett would also end up out of the AFC entirely, so that’s a win on its own.
It would be chaos to get there, but the Bengals would be happy to capitalize on it all.
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