The 2026 NFL Draft is just one days away. One year ago, the Cincinnati Bengals took a couple risks with their first two picks in the draft and the initial grades took notice.

Those risks haven’t paid off. They were never going to after just one year, but it would be a great story if they simply broke even at this point.

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 class of 2025 features multiple starters, but one who is definitively worthy of the title after his rookie season:

• Round 1, No. 17: Shemar Stewart, DE, Texas A&M
• Round 2, No. 49: Demetrius Knight Jr., LB, South Carolina
• Round 3, No. 81: Dylan Fairchild, G, Georgia
• Round 4, No. 119: Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
• Round 5, No. 153: Jalen Rivers, G, Miami
• Round 6, No. 193: Tahj Brooks, RB, Texas Tech

Best Pick: Dylan Fairchild

For a second consecutive year, the Bengals’ best draft pick looks like an offensive lineman out of Georgia.

Fairchild was expected to go off the board near the beginning of Day 3, but Cincinnati’s dire need for a guard became a blessing for the now 22-year old. Offensive line coach Scott Peters was enamored with Fairchild at Georgia’s pro day, and the former high school wrestler was also a student of Peters’ “strike system” pass protection techniques. The fit was too logical.

The Bengals wasted no time declaring Fairchild the starting left guard, the position he held at Georgia for two years. He came out the preseason very clean, but struggled during the first five weeks of the regular season before a leg injury took him out for two games. His play smoothened out when he returned in Week 8 and never left the field again.

Fairchild posted the second-highest pass blocking grade among seven starting rookie guards after his return from injury. Cincinnati’s entire starting line was cooking during the final third of the season, and the lone rookie was not being propped up by his surroundings. He proved to be ahead of schedule and figures to take another jump in a highly-anticipated second year.

The third round has mostly been a minefield for the Bengals in the last handful of years. Fairchild looks much better than most picks they’ve made in that round.

Honorable Mention: TBD

None of the other five picks have shown enough to be singled out here. Stewart was hurt for most of the year. Knight and Carter were dreadful as starters. Rivers wasn’t much better when he got his chance for a few weeks. Brooks hardly even played.

There will be plenty of waiting and seeing when it comes to this group. Stewart is set to be a main factor in the EDGE rotation. Knight and Carter are slotted to start again. Rivers and Brooks will be key depth pieces.

Fairchild is the only relatively bright spot. Cincinnati will look to churn out better immediate results with the upcoming draft.

Find the next Fairchild with the A to Z Sports NFL Mock Draft Simulator!