The 2026 NFL Draft is just six days away. Six years ago, everything changed for the Cincinnati Bengals.

And isn’t that the idea when you draft No. 1?

Credit is due where credit is due. You often find the same teams picking near the very top of the draft most years as they cannot take advantage of the opportunity. The Bengals needed one year of leading the draft, and went to a Super Bowl the very next year.

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.

The first class of the Zac Taylor era in 2019 was all over the place. 2020 was as a total home run at the time, and it looks the same six years later.

• Round 1, No. 1: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU
• Round 2, No. 33: Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson
• Round 3, No. 65: Logan Wilson, LB, Wyoming
• Round 4, No. 107: Akeem Davis-Gaither, LB, Appalachian State
• Round 5, No. 147: Khalid Kareem, DE, Notre Dame
• Round 6, No. 180: Hakeem Adeniji, OT, Kansas
• Round 7, No. 215: Markus Bailey, LB, Purdue

Best Pick: Joe Burrow

Do I really need to say anything?

Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. The 29-year old’s biggest weakness six years into his career is he isn’t on the field as much as he’s needed to be. His two Comeback Player of the Year trophies do a funny job of validating that.

His strengths are what make it possible for the Bengals to win the Super Bowl every single year.

He’s arguably the most accurate passer in the game, and his all-time completion percentage may reflect that when his career wraps. His pre-snap prowess allows him to get the ball out faster than pass rushers can get to him, and when the rush does break through, he’s an expert at keeping his eyes down the field and the ball out of harm’s way. He’s taken his fair share of sacks, but the number of times he’s evaded them and created positive plays is a lot more than the average fan may think.

Burrow has fulfilled his scouting report exiting one of the more memorable final college seasons a QB has ever had, and Cincinnati has gone as far as it’s ever gone with him leading the way. He’s made the Bengals competitive even when his defense has been near or at the bottom of the league.

There are other great QBs in the game, and many of them have the All-Pro honors and MVPs Burrow does not. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind the Bengals made the right decision drafting him atop the 2020 class.

Honorable Mention: Tee Higgins

Pairing the franchise quarterback with a stud wide receiver should be standard practice if executed like this. Higgins was the first pick of the second round, and his career has exceeded that status.

Higgins showed promise catching passes from Burrow as a rookie, but Cincinnati wanted more at the position going forward. Ja’Marr Chase joined the party in 2021, and his arrival really elevated Higgins’ effectiveness. He exceed 1,000 yards receiving as the 1b option in the Bengals’ new-look passing game. He followed that up with another 1,000-yard campaign in 2022, taking over for a minor stretch of games as the lead guy when Chase was out with injury.

Cincy ran into issues trying to extend Higgins’ contract the same offseason Burrow signed through 2029. Another year passed on the franchise tag and it was looking like Higgins would leave in 2025. His firing of agent David Mulugheta became the catalyst for him staying in town, signing a four-year deal that keeps him in stripes through 2028.

Higgins was set to be paid as a true No. 1 option for another team last offseason. That tells you everything about the player he’s become for the Bengals since drafting him. Burrow-Higgins became this generation’s version of A.J. Green-Andy Dalton from the 2011 class, and adding Chase to the mix is a recipe for becoming a playoff contender that can actually win in the postseason with enough talent on defense.

Wilson deserves mentioning as well as a starting linebacker for several years, but as high-quality as this class looks, Burrow and Higgins were drafted first for a reason. Even if an AFC title is all they win together, no one can deny this class’ impact.

Find the Bengals’ next franchise pieces with the A to Z Sports NFL Mock Draft Simulator!