Best Bengals Draft Picks: Cincinnati lands several starters headlined by a necessary building block in the 2016 NFL Draft
The Cincinnati Bengals’ 2016 NFL Draft class had just seven picks, but most of them became starting-level players. None of them made more of an impact for Cincinnati than wide receiver Tyler Boyd.
The 2026 NFL Draft is just 10 days away, and the Cincinnati Bengals have a top 10 pick in the first round.
It’s not a given the best player from Cincy’s draft class will be its No. 10 pick. Many recent classes have seen significantly better picks come later in the draft.
As a way to countdown to the 2026 draft, we’re going to go through the last 10 Bengals draft classes and identify the best pick Cincinnati made that year. A subjective combination of tenure, ability, impact, and value will be taken into account to pinpoint the single best selection from the last 10 drafts.
We’ll start with the 2016 draft class, which featured one pick in each of the seven rounds.
- Round 1, No. 24: William Jackson III, CB, Houston
- Round 2, No. 55: Tyler Boyd, WR, Pitt
- Round 3, No. 87: Nick Vigil, LB, Utah St.
- Round 4, No. 122: Andrew Billings, NT, Baylor
- Round 5, No. 161: Christian Westerman, G, Arizona State
- Round 6, No. 199: Cody Core, WR, Mississippi
- Round 7, No. 245: Clayton Fejedelem S, Illinois
Best Pick: Tyler Boyd
This was not a bad class for having just seven picks, but Boyd is the clear choice here. He’s played in more games (136) than any of the other six, and was a significant contributor or straight up starter for seven of his eight seasons in Cincinnati.
Boyd’s promising rookie year in 2016 was followed by a disappointing second season in 2017. He fully found his footing in 2018, setting himself up to be a key piece of Zac Taylor’s Bengals with a fresh contract extension in 2019. He posted back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons from 2018-19 in two different offenses.
Cincinnati added Tee Higgins in 2020 to a receivers room Boyd was leading, and then came Ja’Marr Chase in 2021. Boyd was the founding member of the NFL’s newest dominant receiver trio with Joe Burrow firing accurate passes all over the field to them. Boyd took a backseat in terms of targets to his two younger and more athletic contemporaries, but he was the glue that brought the group together in the slot.
When Boyd left the team after 2023, he was fourth in Bengals history in receptions (513), seventh in receiving yards (6,000), and 11th in receiving touchdowns (31). He caught the first touchdown of Cincy’s first playoff win in over 30 years.
All for the cost of a late second-round pick. Not too shabby at all.
Honorable Mention: Andrew Billings
The only remaining active player from the Bengals’ 2016 class was one of guys who didn’t play at all as a rookie. Billings missed all of 2016 due to a torn meniscus but only missed one game in the next three seasons.
Cincinnati let Billings’ rookie contract expire in 2020 and he ended up sitting the year out due to COVID-19. He spent the 2021 season with the Cleveland Browns as a backup, but started most of the 2022 with the Las Vegas Raiders. He joined the Chicago Bears in 2023 and has started 39 games since, finding a true second life in the Windy City.
With just five appearances in the 2026 season, Billings will surpass Vigil for the second-most games played from the 2016 class. His career definitely didn’t start on the right foot, but it turned out quite productive for a fourth-rounder.
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