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The Cincinnati Bengals have the 10th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and that slot is a great chance to bring in an extremely talented defensive star in this year's class.
One good defender is almost a lock to make it to their pick, with edge, safety, cornerback, or even linebacker all in play with the 10th pick. But there is one player that stands out above the rest as a realistic and likely option.
As ESPN's Field Yates writes, he believes it would be "extremely hard" to see the Bengals pass on the chance to take LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane if he makes it to the Bengals' pick at No. 10 overall.
Bengals passing on Mansoor Delane would be 'extremely hard' to see happening
"It's extremely hard for me to see the Bengals passing on LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane if he is on the board at No. 10," Yates writes.
Delane put up a 4.38-second 40-yard-dash at the NFL scouting combine and has decent size for a cornerback at 6-foot-0, 187-pounds.
Last season for LSU, Delane put up 28 solo tackles with two interceptions and 11 passes defended. It was a good year for the fourth-year cornerback, as he's now very easily a consensus first-rounder.
But, the Bengals might not be able to land him, as a team picking inside the top-10 might be eyeing Delane with their first round pick.
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Of the top-10 picking teams in front of Cincinnati, the most likely destinations for Delane are the Washington Commanders, New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, and potentially even the New York Giants or Cleveland Browns.
If Delane did go that early, that would likely mean a few other good players fell down the board. So the Bengals would have options, but not Delane, who Yates believes the Bengals would take if he were on the board at 10th overall.
With under two weeks to go until the 2026 NFL Draft, it looks like the Bengals might've zeroed in on Delane as their top option based on this reporting from Yates. They could pivot, but Delane makes a ton of sense and would be a good pick at No. 10 overall.
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