The Cincinnati Bengals' contract saga with superstar edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has been talked about ad nauseam. The two sides were able to come to an agreement for the 2025 NFL season, but Hendrickson's future in Cincinnati is rocky, at best.
Sam Hubbard also retired this offseason, and while Joseph Assai and Myles Murphy have been solid contributors, the former is a pending free agent, and the Shemar Stewart experiment has failed thus far. The Bengals will need more firepower on the edge, and the free agent market could be fairly thin.
Given Cincinnati's cap situation as well, their efforts are best spent looking for a young stud in the 2026 NFL Draft. They may be out of range for a generational prospect like Miami's Reuben Bain Jr., but the class is fairly deep and the Bengals can still land an exciting Hendrickson replacement.
Bengals land Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk in latest ESPN 2026 mock draft
On Wednesday, ESPN's Matt Miller released his latest mock draft, and he had Cincinnati doing just that. With the No. 8 overall pick in the event, he predicted that the Bengals would draft Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk.
"Hendrickson will become a free agent after the season, and his return to Cincinnati is hardly guaranteed considering the acrimonious nature of his preseason holdout. Joseph Ossai and Cam Sample will also be free agents, leaving the Bengals with needs up front despite drafting Shemar Stewart in the first round this year and Myles Murphy in 2023," Miller wrote. "Neither has had much of an impact, so perhaps Faulk could break through. At 6-6, 285 pounds, Faulk is built in the mold of Hendrickson with the power to lock out offensive tackles and the quickness to get to the quarterback. He has two sacks and 24 pressures this season and can rush from the inside and outside."
Based on Miller's quick report, it seems like Faulk would be an excellent addition to Al Golden's unit, that is, if Golden survives the season. Regardless, Faulk is an NFL-ready edge rusher, and he could be an immediate, and relatively cheap, contributor on Day 1.
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Faulk has drawn comparisons to players like Bengals legend Carlos Dunlap, which fans will love. He's also been a big contributor for the Auburn Tigers since his true freshman season, so he's always been a quick study in new systems and when leveling up.
Also promising is the fact that Faulk will be just 20 years old when drafted, and he won't turn 21 until just before his rookie year begins. As a young prospect, he should still have plenty of room to grow and expand his prowess as well.
Stewart and Murphy will be 22 and 24 at the beginning of the 2026 NFL season, so if Faulk emerges quickly, and the former two both take a big step, the Bengals could recreate Hendrickson in the aggregate.