Cincy Jungle
The Michigan Wolverines will travel to Oklahoma Saturday night to face the Sooners. This match-up features two teams ranked inside the top twenty.
There are plenty of draft-eligible prospects that could be of interest for the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2026 NFL draft.
Jake Browning is entering the final year of his contract. The Bengals could look to the draft in finding a long-term solution to back up Joe Burrow going forward after the season.
John Mateer transferred to Oklahoma from Washington State this offseason. He was one of the most highly sought-after recruits in the country. Mateer is a dual-threat quarterback who threw for over 3,000 yards and rushed for another 800 yards during the 2024 season. He combined to put up 44 total touchdowns on the season.
In week one, he went 30 for 37 with 392 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception, throwing the football. He added another touchdown and 24 yards rushing on the ground. Michigan will offer a much tougher challenge on defense than what Illinois State did in week one. If he has a big game this week against the Wolverines, he will enter a lot of Heisman conversations.
A couple of the weapons for Mateer will be Jaydn Ott at running back and Deion Burks at wide receiver.
Ott is a transfer from Cal that has over 3300 yards for his college career entering the season. His biggest asset is his patience and vision with good burst through the hole. Injuries have slowed him down a bit over the past year. He received limited action in the first week, but is expected to see the field a lot more against Michigan.
Injuries plagued Burks for the majority of the 2024 season as well. He was limited to only five games during the 2024 season. Now that Burks is healthy, he looks like the player he was at Purdue in 2023. Burks was able to put up 7 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown this past week. He has great acceleration, and his ball tracking ability is one of his biggest strengths as a prospect. There will be concerns with his size and durability at only 5’9” and 180 pounds.
If the Bengals are in the market for an offensive guard after the season, they could be interested in Oklahoma’s Febechi Nwaiwu. At 6’4” and 339 pounds, Nwaiwu is a physical presence on the interior offensive line. He plays with an aggressive and attacking mindset, constantly looking to finish through the whistle. Originally a walk-on at North Texas, he has worked for every opportunity he now has as a potential draft prospect for the NFL.
There are several defensive prospects to keep an eye on that could be Bengals targets from Oklahoma. One of those is R. Mason Thomas. Thomas is an undersized edge rusher who will likely be limited to being a pass rush specialist in the NFL at 6’2” and 249 pounds. He posted an impressive 31.3% win rate on...
