Bengals 3-Round NFL Mock Draft: Cincinnati hammers down on defense after extending Dalton Risner’s contract
The Cincinnati Bengals turn their attention to the defense after solidifying their offensive line.
It’s a good day for the Cincinnati Bengals. Starting right guard Dalton Risner has been extended through the 2026 season, and the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine showed countless NFL Draft hopefuls raising their draft stock.
Now that Risner is back in the fold, almost all of Cincinnati’s attention over the next two months will be spent on defense. Let’s dive into a defense-only 3-round Bengals mock draft.
Round 1, Pick 10: Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
Plenty of potential first-round targets for the Bengals tested well, but a couple didn’t test at all. Mansoor Delane measured in at just under 6-0 and 187 pounds with 30″ arms and chose not to run or jump, but he did meet with Cincinnati last week as did other top CBs Jermod McCoy and Avieon Terrell.
The logic of slotting Delane here is his tape being among the best of the defensive backs in this year’s class, he’s not coming off a major injury like McCoy, and other possible targets such as Jeremiyah Love and Sonny Styles tested so well they may be off the board in the first nine picks.
The Bengals could also use a nickelback to compete with Jalen Davis, and a future starter on the outside if one of Dax Hill or DJ Turner II leave in free agency next year. Delane makes sense for both plans.
Round 2, Pick 41: Gracen Holton, DT, Oklahoma
The idea of drafting a defensive tackle in the first round this year appears risky at the moment. Peter Woods and Caleb Banks look like the top options, but both carry risk with the former not having athletic testing to his name, and the latter having production and durability concerns. Gracen Holton doesn’t have those red flags.
Holton entered last week as an early Day 3 prospect before becoming one of the winners of the defensive line group, running a 4.82 40-yard dash and reaching 36.5″ on the vertical jump after measuring in at 6-3, 295 pounds with just over 31″ arms.
I don’t think Holton making it out of the third round, and frankly, he may end up in Round 2 due to the DT class being relatively weak. Cincinnati needs an interior pass rusher and it will be tough to find one in free agency, so “reaching” for Holton is a plausible scenario we could see.
Round 3, Pick 72: Dani Dennis-Sutton, EDGE, Penn State
While I still expect an EDGE, linebacker, and safety to be signed by the Bengals in free agency, I also expect an EDGE to be drafted more than the other two positions in more possible futures than not.
Enter Dani Dennis-Sutton, who also turned plenty of heads in Indianapolis. His vertical and broad jumps resulted in 99-percentile burst score, and with a 4.63 40-yard dash and 6.90 3-cone time, his all-around athleticism was on full display.
Dennis-Sutton is currently viewed as a late Day 2 pick after a down year for Penn State, and with so many quality EDGEs expected to be drafted early after many more land contracts in free agency, it may be tough for him to be picked much earlier than the third round. He would make so much sense for the Bengals, and the club did meet with him in Indy.