This is the third of a five-part series assessing the outlook of the most important Bengals’ questions of the 2026 NFL Draft.

CINCINNATI — Four words have reverberated throughout this Cincinnati Bengals offseason. They were uttered by de facto general manager Duke Tobin days after the 2025 season ended.

“Pass rush is king,” he said.

The Bengals crowned Boye Mafe as prince of the pass rush going forward, shelling out $20 million per year for his services. They added 31-year-old Jonathan Allen to pair with 31-year-old BJ Hill at defensive tackle.

Does that sound like enough? Not for a team that put pass rush at the top of its offseason priority list. Mafe essentially replaces Trey Hendrickson while Allen brings the hope of tacking a few more years on a career that’s seen his Pro Bowl numbers decline the last two seasons.

The Bengals are betting on Myles Murphy continuing the second-half breakout in 2025 and are looking to provide a runway for Shemar Stewart to develop in Year 2.

Pair that with the desire for depth and starting-level improvements at nose tackle, where TJ Slaton and McKinnley Jackson currently reside, and you have a puzzle still missing multiple pieces up front.

This draft provides options, but will there be enough picks to plug every hole?

Background

Pinpointing exactly what the Bengals are hunting for on the defensive line in this draft requires an understanding of their depth chart.

Mafe and Murphy are viewed as the starters on the edge. They’ve earned it. Stewart is more of a wild card, but one who the Bengals will find snaps for in every rotation, clearing his path for a breakout sophomore campaign.

After that, there’s a hole. No player in this draft is too good to fill that role, especially considering the need for long-term answers and the notable injury history of Stewart and Murphy.

On the inside, Allen and Hill are easy to spot as temporary solutions considering their age. Cincinnati has been seeking a young, game-wrecking defensive tackle for nearly a decade. That quest isn’t on pause because Allen and Hill are here. Kris Jenkins is still in the mix, but this offseason has served as a wake-up call for his career. He must either figure it out or he’ll be out of the team’s plans.

There’s potential to draft immediate competition for Slaton, perhaps a nose tackle who may be able to add more to the pass rush than the run-stuffing 28-year-old. Any presence on the interior that augments the pass rush would be welcome, no matter the primary position.

Relevant history

Drafting Murphy and Stewart bucked the trend of more than two decades without selecting a defensive lineman in the first round.

The Bengals have a long history of finding productive defensive linemen in the middle rounds of the draft, with the 2010 draft adding Carlos Dunlap (Round 2) and Geno Atkins (Round 4) as the most notable examples.

Here’s the list of players drafted by the Bengals this century to post at least one season with eight or more sacks for Cincinnati.

Don’t think for a second Tobin is worried about waiting until later in the draft to grab a pass rusher.

Also, consider the fact that the Bengals haven’t drafted a player on this list since Zac Taylor’s staff arrived in 2019. That’s a wrong they hope to right with either Murphy or Stewart posting a big number in the near future.

Understanding the class

The edge rushers run deep. For a team looking to find a pass rusher to insert into its rotation, this draft offers a lot of candidates in the second- to fourth-round range. The depth of the position provides a chance for a fourth-round pick that perhaps the Bengals had a second or third-round grade on. There’s an opportunity for Cincinnati to weaponize the depth of the position. That’s also part of the conversation at the top of the draft, where Rueben Bain Jr. will be in the middle of the conversation at No. 10 overall. If Bain ends up available along with one of the top defensive backs, the depth of this edge rusher class could serve as a tiebreaker, knowing what’s available on Day 2.

The Bengals have expressed a need to add a combination linebacker/edge player who can drop back on early downs and bring the edge rush in pass situations. Arvell Reese is the prototype and a dream, but adding him is just that for the Bengals. In terms of a lesser version of that profile, Cincinnati could be dabbling in the 6-foot-4, 240-pound edge market in this draft. Numerous prospects fit that description and could add real juice to this pass rush.

The defensive tackles don’t offer as much early in terms of three-technique pass rushers, but there is an enticing crop of big-bodied nose tackles who could fill that need. Of Dane Brugler’s top six defensive tackles, five of them are more of a nose-tackle type, weighing at least 318 pounds.

Variable

Trading back in the first round?

If the Bengals felt the top seven targets before the tier drop (see Part 1) were all gone and found a partner to move into the teens, an entirely new group of pass rushers would enter the conversation.

There’s a group expected to be drafted in the middle to the back of the first round who have no chance of reaching Cincinnati at No. 41. The Bengals have closely tracked many of those players, whether through extra pro day attention or top 30 visits.

Akheem Mesidor, Miami, EDGE: Maybe the most polished, Day 1 pass rusher in the draft, but he is 25.

Keldric Faulk, Auburn, EDGE: Elite traits, tough, high character, run-stopping edge with pass rush upside, looks like a Bengals edge rusher.

Peter Woods, Clemson, DT: The lone top-tier three-technique in the draft. Disappointing 2025.

TJ Parker, Clemson, EDGE: Had 11 sacks in 2024, top traits, great week at the Senior Bowl.

Kayden McDonald, Ohio State, DT: At 6-2, 326, an immovable force at NT with the ability to develop as a pass rusher.

The Bengals haven’t moved back on draft night since 2012 and have done it only twice this century. A move down to access this group is probably unlikely, but I have to believe there’s a reason the Bengals have paid such close attention to this grouping. Moving back also opens up opportunities to double up in the sweet spot of the middle rounds.

Variable, Part 2

DT Caleb Banks?

One of the most polarizing prospects in this draft could slide into the Bengals’ lap at No. 41 overall. The 6-6, 327-pounder out of Florida owns a rare stew of size, strength, length and explosiveness. He lacks overwhelming production, but offers a traits heaven for a Bengals front office often praying they translate. He’s one of the most talented players in this draft, but repeated foot injuries have teams concerned about durability.

Would the Bengals entertain such a talented, if problematic prospect? Much of it may come back to the medicals, but the last time they took an ultra-physically gifted defensive lineman out of Florida in the second round, it was Dunlap. This would offer similar boom-or-bust risk. Banks has All-Pro potential they can dream about. The variable likely rests in the hands of the doctors.

Bengals fits

Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech: Expected to be available at No. 41 overall, Hunter is a powerful two-gapping nose tackle at 6-4, 318 pounds. He played perhaps his best game in the College Football Playoff against Oregon. He’s limited by explosiveness as a pass rusher, but he’s shown enough to be much more than a non-factor or at least a developmental project as a rusher. Great reviews as a leader and worker, willing to hold teammates accountable. Round 2 target.

Gabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois: Not the most dominant athlete, but a technician and relentless edge rusher. There’s a comp to Trey Hendrickson coming out of Florida International. Jacas was wildly productive for the Illini. The last two seasons combined, he posted 19 sacks, 26.5 tackles for loss and six forced fumbles. He’s the size Bengals have traditionally favored (6-4, 261). Was a “workaholic” team captain, via “The Beast.” A Round 2 match.

Jaishawn Barham, EDGE/LB, Michigan: Fits into the combination edge/linebacker category at 6-4, 240 pounds. Was highly productive for the Wolverines, especially after specializing on the edge. He has twitchy explosiveness the Bengals would love off the edge, and he doesn’t look out of place dropping in zones. He would be a project to hand Defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery in many ways, but his athleticism and skill set are something the Bengals don’t have. Cincinnati has selected a Michigan defensive player in the first two days of the draft in three of the last four years. A Round 3-4 target.

Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech: Similar size to Barham and projects more as a designated pass rusher. He racked up 9.5 sacks last year and possesses rare explosion off the edge with a motor that runs hot. Reputation as a hard worker, which is a nice mix with what he brings to the table physically.

Sleeper

Landon Robinson, DT, Navy: Follow the patterns. In this case, the arrows keep leading back to Robinson. Cincinnati attended his pro day and brought him in for a top 30 visit. Montgomery was his position coach at the East-West Shrine Bowl, where the Bengals’ scouts also met with him. He’s undersized at 5-11 and 293 pounds, but brings plenty of disruption and has decent length considering his short stature, and he is a three-time member of Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List.” Was the American Conference Defensive Player of the Year with 6.5 sacks. A late Day 3 match.

Prediction

Barham in Round 4, Robinson in Round 6

The Bengals go after pass rushers twice and add different types of players than they have traditionally. Barham has room for development into a real guy and enough background off the ball to lend a hand schematically with the linebackers. There’s just too much smoke to think Robinson doesn’t end up a late-round target.