The 2026 NFL Draft is just two days away. Two years ago, the Cincinnati Bengals finally struck gold on an offensive lineman for the first time in a long time.

What happened with the nine other picks they had in the draft? Well, the jury is still very much out if we’re putting it nicely.

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 2024 features an ascending starter, and, well, not much else:

• Round 1, No. 18: Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
• Round 2, No. 49: Kris Jenkins Jr., DT, Michigan
• Round 3, No. 80: Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama
• Round 3, No. 97: McKinnley Jackson, DT, Texas A&M
• Round 4, No. 115: Erick All Jr., TE, Iowa
• Round 5, No. 149: Josh Newton, CB, TCU
• Round 6, No. 194: Tanner McLachlan, TE, Arizona
• Round 6, No. 214: Cedric Johnson, DE, Mississippi
• Round 7, No. 224: Daijahn Anthony, S, Mississippi
• Round 7, No. 237: Matt Lee, C, Miami

Best Pick: Amarius Mims

There’s no competition here. Mims is the Bengals’ starting right tackle and should hold that title for many, many years. Cincinnati took a chance on him with the No. 18 pick after he had spent two years developing as a reserve and missed much of his third and final year at Georgia injured. He entered the NFL with just 803 snaps played. He played 835 snaps in his rookie season alone.

Mims took over at RT for the Bengals in Week 3 when Trent Brown suffered a season-ending injury. His inexperience showed as much as his raw talent and movement ability at 6-8 and 340 pounds. His traits kept him above water, but putting them to repeatable use is what was going to make him better.

Mims accrued valuable experience, perhaps even more than Cincinnati expected, as a rookie. The plan was always to go full send with him in 2025, and he ended up starting every game. He’s experienced a couple minor injuries since being drafted, but the player who was heavily docked for durability concerns has been as durable as one could’ve hoped through two years.

The end of 2025 is why the future of Mims’ career is so promising. When Dalton Risner took over as the full-time starting right guard next to Mims, the latter’s play took a massive jump. He ranked eighth among starting tackles in Pro Football Focus’ Pass Blocking grade while performing True Pass Sets during the last seven weeks of the season.

Mims’ ceiling was always sky-high, and he’s on track to reaching it entering his third year. Staying on the field is the most important part, but everything else looks to be clicking. He may end up as one of the Bengals’ best first-round picks in recent memory.

Honorable Mention: Kris Jenkins

There isn’t a clear honorable mention, but Jenkins has at least been a factor in Cincy’s defensive tackle rotation over the past two years.

Jenkins has played almost exactly 500 snaps in each of his first two seasons as one of the first defensive tackles off the bench. His pass rushing productivity saw a slight bump in 2025, as did the number of defensive stops he produced.

Signing Jonathan Allen and trading for Dexter Lawrence isn’t exactly a good sign for how the Bengals feel about Jenkins going forward, but again, the pickings are slim here.

All is the name to look out for here. He showed much promise as a rookie before suffering a major knee injury and hasn’t played since. He’s healthy now and has a chance to earn a notable role at tight end this coming season.

Find the next Mims, Jenkins, and All with the A to Z Sports NFL Mock Draft Simulator!