Eye-opening trend emerged from Cincinnati Bengals’ 2026 draft class and it’s worth monitoring going forward
The Cincinnati Bengals filled out most of their 2026 NFL Draft class with players who took part in the East-West Shrine Bowl earlier in the offseason.
The Cincinnati Bengals broke a couple trends in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Cashius Howell is the smallest EDGE they’ve drafted with a premium pick in quite some time. Tacario Davis is the first cornerback they selected between the third and fourth round in over a decade. Landon Robinson is the shortest defensive tackle taken by them sine Geno Atkins.
Robinson was also one of four players Cincinnati chose from an ascending pre-draft stop for prospects.
Bengals went heavy with Shrine Bowl studs in 2026 NFL Draft
The East-West Shrine Bowl has grown in prominence over the last few years under a new direction and location of the event. The Bengals have certainly taken note.
Robinson, tight end Jack Endries, offensive lineman Brian Parker II, and wide receiver Colbie Young all partook in this year’s Shrine Bowl. That’s four of the club’s five Day 3 draft picks.
It was talking about Robinson’s dominant East-West week that made Bengals assistant general manager Mike Potts realize just how much Cincy honed in on players from both rosters.
“We got to spend time with him at the East-West, we had a lot of East-West game guys this year,” Potts told The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. “He was one of the stars of the week. I mean, he was just whipping people in the one-on-one pass rush stuff, really good in the run game, and he blew us away in the interview.”
Landon Robinson Key Facts & Stats
Defensive tackle Landon Robinson was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals No. 226 overall in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
- Robinson was born and raised in Akron, OH. His father, Lance Robinson, is a big Bengals fan.
- Navy named Robinson a team captain in 2025. He was tabbed the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
- Robinson was not invited to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, but he did run a 4.87 40-yard dash and 7.28 3-cone at 5-11, 293 pounds.
Endries, Parker, Robinson, and Young all impressed Potts and Co. throughout the week. The film and intel collected prior to the event is what matters most in the process, but getting added exposure to players only leads to more informed decisions when the draft arrives.
What to watch for next year
The Senior Bowl remains the most notable college football All-Star event in the pre-draft process. Howell, Cincinnati’s second-round pick, participated in the event. Davis, the club’s third-rounder, originally accepted his invite to the Senior Bowl, but was deemed a late scratch.
The East-West Shrine Bowl is quickly catching up to the Senior Bowl. The Bengals finding most of their seven picks from the event is further validation of that.
As the talent pool of NFL hopefuls becomes more evenly dispersed between both games in January, the Bengals should be expected to value the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl on equal playing fields going forward. The successes of their quartet of Day 3 picks from the latter may only solidify that shift even more.
