Mock draft season is in full swing for Bengals fans with the 2026 NFL draft just a few months away.
It is no secret the Bengals are in desperate need of a full defensive reset and will likely need to cash in on a defensive cornerstone with their first round pick in 2026.
The Bengals do exactly that in the Fox Sports’ latest mock draft, but it may not be a name Cincinnati fans are high on.
The mock draft has Zac Taylor calling Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk as the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft.
“Faulk is a monster at 6-6 and 288 pounds, and he displayed an incredible ability to blow past offensive tackles in the SEC over the past two seasons. He posted 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and 45 total tackles for the Tigers in his true sophomore season in 2024. Despite less production in 2025, he’d be the perfect player to add to a defensive line that already features extremely athletic and young edges like Shemart Stewart and Myles Murphy,“ Fox Sports wrote.
Although his production dipped in 2025, the potential and film is there… He could be an instant impact guy for the Bengals’ defensive line. However, after the Shemar Stewart debacle, drafting a guy who had just two sacks last season looks like an exact repeat.
This is likely a different situation for the Bengals front office because multiple targets went off the board fast in this mock draft, like Caleb Downs, Rueben Bain Jr., and Peter Woods.
No matter the scenario, the Bengals should always draft ‘BPA’ style, but the defense also needs drastic help on the defensive side of the football, ideally that can make an immediate impact.
Hopefully, the front office does enough work in free agency to be able to draft with less pressure, but a defensive cornerstone needs to be hit on with the 10th pick this year.
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