The Cincinnati Bengals are at a crossroads - and the road they choose this offseason could determine whether they return to Super Bowl contention or continue spinning their wheels in mediocrity. The issue? A draft strategy that’s leaned too heavily on traits and projections, and not enough on what players have actually done on the field.
For the past few drafts, Cincinnati has leaned into a set of rigid, self-imposed metrics when evaluating early-round prospects. We’re talking about height thresholds, arm length minimums, and weight cutoffs.
And while measurables matter - especially in the trenches - they’ve also caused the Bengals to pass on some clearly productive players who could’ve made an immediate difference. In some cases, one more capable offensive lineman might have been the difference between watching the Super Bowl and playing in it.
More recently, the Bengals have taken a turn toward advanced analytics in their scouting process. That’s not inherently a bad thing - smart teams use every tool available.
But when the numbers start to outweigh what’s on the game tape, that’s where trouble begins. And if past trends are any indication, Cincinnati could be headed down that same path in the 2026 draft.
There’s a growing case to be made for a different approach - one that prioritizes production over potential. That philosophy has worked wonders for Curt Cignetti, who just led the Indiana Hoosiers to one of the most improbable national championships in college football history.
His success wasn’t built on traits or projections. It was built on players who consistently made plays.
Cignetti himself put it plainly on the Next Up podcast with Adam Berenman: “I’m into production over potential. I learned that a long time ago.
I made a lot of mistakes young, as a recruiting coordinator, way back. I like to see it on film.”
That’s the kind of mindset Bengals fans would love to see more of in their front office. Because what they’ve seen recently is a team drafting athletic profiles - not football players.
Take last year’s draft. The Bengals used premium picks on defenders like Demetrius Knight Jr. and Shemar Stewart - both top-50 selections.
Through nine weeks, those two ranked 523rd and 524th, respectively, out of 525 qualified defenders in run defense, according to PFF. That’s not just underwhelming - it’s alarming.
It’s one thing to bet on upside. It’s another to bet on upside with little to no college production. That’s a gamble that rarely pays off, especially for a team that doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for rookies to develop three years down the line.
And that brings us to the bigger picture. Joe Burrow is the franchise.
His health, mindset, and long-term happiness are everything. If the Bengals are serious about building a contender around him, they can’t afford to miss on first-round picks.
They need contributors - now. Not projects.
Not pass rushers with 4.5 career sacks and 11 tackles for loss. They need guys who’ve shown they can ball - consistently - against top competition.
Cignetti’s blueprint has already proven successful. Over the past four seasons, he’s won at an .885 clip, took Indiana to the College Football Playoff with an 11-2 record last year, and went 16-0 this season en route to a national title.
That’s not a fluke. That’s a process that works - one rooted in identifying players who produce, not just those who test well in shorts.
And no, this isn’t a call to hand Cignetti the Bengals’ headset. Zac Taylor still has a chance to right the ship. But if Cincinnati wants to get back to where it was in 2021 - deep in the playoffs, eyeing a Lombardi - the front office needs to rethink how it evaluates talent.
The 2026 draft is critical. This team doesn’t need another athletic experiment. It needs players who’ve shown they can play - players who’ve dominated at the college level and are ready to contribute from Day 1.
The Bengals don’t need to reinvent the wheel. They just need to turn on the tape - and trust what they see.