Who should the Bengals draft? When are they picking? NFL Draft primer

The Cincinnati Bengals might not have the No. 10 pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but they did get defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and still own the No. 41 pick in the draft on Friday.

Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin will finalize the draft board. The Bengals will rank players from top to bottom and use the board to guide their picks during the draft.

Tobin and his staff will meet with head coach Zac Taylor and his staff, and together they’ll map out a plan. Once the draft rolls around, the Bengals will be prepared for multiple scenarios. The most important part of the pre-draft period is player evaluation and how teams set their boards.

How do NFL draft boards work?

From there, the board does the work for the team. Reaching for needs is where NFL teams have gotten in trouble in the draft. It’s not a smart strategy to take a pick who ranks below others because of a need a certain position.

In recent years, the Bengals have done so and it hasn’t worked as well as when they select the best prospect available when they get on the clock. The Bengals selecting defensive tackle Kris Jenkins in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft is an example of reaching for a need.

Cincinnati entered that draft weekend desperately needing a defensive tackle and drafted Jenkins when the No. 49 overall pick rolled around. While he’s still young in his career and still has a chance to turn things around, Jenkins hasn’t lived up to the production expected of a second-round pick. They doubled down on the position and took McKinnley Jackson in the third round. Jackson played in just nine games for the Bengals last season and requested a trade.