Cincinnati Bengals
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A detailed view of a Cincinnati Bengals helmet at Paul Brown Stadium on September 13, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The Cincinnati Bengals are busy with the NFL free agency market with the negotiating window opening on Monday afternoon.
So far, the team has made a couple of sizable moves. They were able to sign former Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook, while also adding former Seattle Seahawks safety Boye Mafe.
While there are still more moves the Bengals could make in free agency, the 2026 NFL Draft will be another avenue for improvement. As of right now, Cincinnati holds the No. 10 overall pick in the first round. There will be plenty of impact players available with that selection.
Keeping that in mind, the Bengals have been linked to potentially taking a standout pass rusher with that pick.
Cincinnati Bengals Linked to Potentially Adding a 34.5-Sack Pass Rusher
Shane Hallam of DraftSharks has the Bengals taking Miami Hurricanes standout defensive end Ahkeem Mesidor at No. 10 overall.
“Mesidor will turn 25 before the draft, but he outplayed Bain often throughout the season,” Hallam wrote. “His size and versatility should allow Mesidor to step in immediately as an impact pass rusher who can even move inside on third downs.”
Mesidor began his college football career with the West Virginia Mountaineers. He played two seasons with that program before playing out his final four seasons with the Hurricanes.
During the 2025 campaign that saw Miami make a run to the National Championship Game, Mesidor put up head-turning numbers. He totaled 63 total tackles to go along with 12.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles.
Throughout his entire college career, Mesidor racked up 208 tackles, 34.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and four defended passes.
Ahkeem Mesidor Could Be the Perfect Fit for the Bengals
Depending on how the rest of NFL free agency unfolds, Cincinnati could be in need of pass rushing help.
Trey Hendrickson, the team’s superstar defensive end, is currently a free agent. The expectation is that he will sign with a team other than the Bengals.
Assuming that expectation becomes a reality, Mesidor could end up finding himself on the field early in his career should Cincinnati draft him. That loss would also make the Bengals much more likely to target him with the No. 10 overall pick.
Even though Rueben Bain has received the majority of the draft hype from the Miami defense, Mesidor did outperform him at times. Both of the Hurricanes stars have star potential at the NFL level.
Granted, the NFL Draft is still a month and a half away. Mesidor may not end up being the target for Cincinnati. However, if the Bengals have a need for pass rushing, he could be exactly the move the team needs to make.