The reactions to the Cincinnati Bengals’ 2026 NFL Draft class have been overwhelmingly positive.

Cincinnati had only seven picks to work with following the unprecedented Dexter Lawrence trade and managed to find value, traits, and fill needs over the course of three days.

Rational expectations can lead you to feeling good about what the Bengals have done. So let’s go a little further.

Let’s overreact to Cincinnati’s newest crop of rookies.

Cashius Howell will finish no worse than second in sacks for Cincinnati as a rookie

I don’t even feel like this is that bold of a take.

Cashius Howell will be immediately inserted into the rotation at EDGE alongside Shemar Stewart behind starters Boye Mafe and Myles Murphy. He has a clear argument for being a better pass rusher than Stewart, and maybe even Murphy, whose career high in sacks is the 5.5 he amassed last season thanks to his impressive final eight games.

The disruption Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, and B.J. Hill can now create together will give Howell chances to capitalize when he’s on the field against the pass. I think he will.

Brian Parker II is going to start many games for the Bengals

The Bengals have not drafted a Day 3 offensive lineman as good as Brian Parker II since Clint Boling in 2011. Matt Lee is a close second, but injuries clipped his wings before he could fly.

Parker was a mid-round prospect who inexplicably fell to the sixth round. The tape, pass blocking production, and athleticism all point to him being a steal, and there’s a great chance he’s a primary backup at multiple positions as a rookie.

That will lead to playing time, perhaps even starts, in 2026, and the Cincinnati native‘s case to be a long-term starter beyond this year will grow. You’re looking at a prime candidate to take over for Dalton Risner in 2027.

Jack Endries and Landon Robinson are the best seventh-round picks Cincinnati has made in years

If Parker was a great value pick in the sixth round, Jack Endries and Landon Robinson are tremendous value picks in the seventh round. Both players could’ve went off the board to start Day 3 and I wouldn’t have blinked.

Cincinnati finding this kind of value in the last round of the draft is a rare thing.

Endries can be an immediate receiving option ala Tanner Hudson if given the chance. Robinson may be the pass-rushing answer the Bengals have been looking for to develop behind Hill. Both have the tape, production, and athleticism to back it up.

Both players making the team will be the first, and most important, step in fulfilling this proclamation. If that happens, they have clear paths to outplaying their draft spots.