Bengals take top defensive tackle in latest NFL Mock Draft

Clemson defensive lineman Peter Woods (11) during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, S.C. Saturday, September 6, 2025. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It's never too early to start looking at mock drafts, or doing mock drafts yourself. The NFL Draft may not be till late April, but the NFL Draft is an event that gets year-round build-up.

The Cincinnati Bengals hold the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. They should be able to draft a really good prospect and a player that can start right away, or at the very least make an impact. If the Bengals do enough in free agency to improve the roster, they should be able to go with a best-player-available approach in the NFL Draft.

In a recent mock draft by Sports Illustrated's Daniel Fick, the Bengals are drafting Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods with the 10th overall pick.

Here is what Fick said about the pick and why Woods can help with a key area of the Bengals' defense that needs improvement.

The Bengals have long struggled defensively, and 2025 was no different. They were last in run defense, second-to-last in total defense and third-to-last in scoring defense. There are holes in several places, but Cincinnati's interior defensive line stands out as an area of key concern, and Woods is the draft's best defensive tackle. While the 6' 3'', 315-pound Woods didn't have the junior season expected of him, he's a twitchy, smooth-moving big man who can stop the run and create interior disruption."

Woods had five sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss in three seasons at Clemson. He had 84 tackles in those three seasons and forced two fumbles.

In 2025, Woods was a second-team All-American, per the AP, Phil Steele and USA Today. Woods became Clemson's first defensive tackle named as an AP All-American since Christian Wilkins' unanimous All-America sweep in 2018.