Penn State at Ohio State (12:00 p.m. ET)
The Cincinnati Bengals could be looking to add a safety during the 2026 NFL Draft.
Geno Stone is scheduled to be a free agent after the season. I don’t see the Bengals rushing to sign him to an extension. They have not been getting consistent play from Jordan Battle this season either. If they do have an interest in adding a safety, there will be a couple of players to watch for both teams in this Big Noon match-up between the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes.
First off, Penn State has safety Zakee Wheatley. He has been one of the few players who have played up to their potential for them this season. Wheatley is a 6’3” 200 200-pound versatile prospect with good ball skills and range on the back end of a defense.
For the Buckeyes, they have All-American Caleb Downs. Downs is known as a coach on the field for Ohio State. He can play in the box, slot, or at deep safety. He is a ferocious tackler and makes big plays in big moments.
Would the Bengals be willing to take a safety in the first round? I am not sure they would. However, Downs has that leader of a defense mentality that is sorely lacking in this locker room. He is also a reliable tackler in the open field. That has been a recurring issue for the Bengals defensively for multiple seasons.
Oklahoma at Tennessee (7:30 p.m. ET)
The Bengals are lacking a pass rusher from the interior defensive line. Oklahoma is going to have several talented lineman over the next couple of drafts. One to watch for this class is Gracen Halton. Halton is likely a mid-round prospect for the Sooners due to being considered a bit undersized for the defensive tackle position. He is listed at 6’2” and 292 pounds. What he can do is get after the quarterback. He has 7.5 sacks over the past two seasons for the Sooners. Only 2.5 of those have come this season. However, he still has 17 pressures on the season already.
The Bengals still need to find an outside cornerback. Cam Taylor-Britt is scheduled to be a free agent. The Bengals are likely to let him walk. Dax Hill needs to get back to taking more snaps in the slot. Tennessee has a couple of different cornerback prospects the Bengals could be interested in. The first is Jermod McCoy. He may be the best cornerback in the nation. The problem is, he has yet to play this season after an injury he sustained in January. That has allowed another cornerback to step up and potentially work his way into the first or second round mix this year. That player is Colton Hood. Hood was a transfer from Colorado last season. Hood has the ability to stick with any wide receiver in the country. He possesses excellent closing speed, vision in coverage, and quality ball skills.
Cincinnati at Utah (10:15 p.m. ET)
Last week I discussed Brendon Sorsby as a potential backup quarterback prospect for the Bengals. I think he is more likely to play his way into being a top 50 draft selection, than he is to being a day three option for the Bengals. Instead I want to give a little love to Jake Golday on the opposite of the ball. Golday should be drafted before the end of day two this year. He has great size for a linebacker at 6’4” 237 pounds. He is a highly productive player with excellent coverage ability. His improved play as a downhill run defender on top of that is what makes him such a fun prospect. Throw in the fact that he is effective as a pass rusher when asked to blitz, and this is another player from the Bearcats that could be in the top 50 conversation this year.
Utah is going to be a tough game for the Bearcats. Utah has multiple draft-eligible players on both sides of the ball. One player that has been mocked to the Bengals on several occasions already is Caleb Lomu. I actually think Lomu will go back to college for another season personally, but he is draft-eligible. The left tackle prospect could sit for a season behind Orlando Brown Jr. if he did declare and was selected by the Bengals. Spencer Fano is actually my favorite prospect of the two, however he plays at right tackle. I don’t think the Bengals would want to switch him back to left (he played that his freshman year) or Amarius Mims. For that reason, Lomu is the prospect that would be more likely to garner interest from the Bengals.
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