Safe to say, thanks to last weekend's Dexter Lawrence blockbuster, there's never been a second round like this in Bengals history.

If they don't get lured back into the first round Thursday night (and after giving up the 10^th pick for Sexy Dexy, giving up even more picks would be the biggest surprise of all), No. 41 stands to be their latest first pick ever. A few furlongs behind the 35^th pick in 1989, where the Bengals took UCLA running back Eric Ball, their future director of player relations.

And, they're doing it as the NFL's biggest salary cap spenders since the new league year dawned last month, according to overthecap.com.

With $300,665,843 spent on everything from the $60 million for Super Bowl pass rusher Boye Mafe in free agency, the $70 million on the Lawrence deal, and the $32 million for captain and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.'s extension, the Bengals have left everyone else in the dust when it comes to active spending.

Which means with the salary cap set at $301.2 million, serious discussions must be had about making sure they fit under it once the draft is over. It puts even more premium on filling the pipeline with rookie contracts, and those guys have to be able to play on those deals.

That brings us to the final Bengals.com Media Mock Draft of 2026, but the first one ever for the second round on the first day of the draft.

The consensus seems to be the Bengals must go linebacker or cornerback at No. 41 after taking care of defensive tackle so decisively with Lawrence.

The only thing they didn't nab to beef up the defense this offseason is a starting MIKE backer, so maybe here.

They also need a third cornerback, one who can not only back up Dax Hill and D.J. Turner II on the outside, but also be prepared to start next season with Hill and Turner both in their contract years.

We stuck with our trusty panel of team beat scribes from each city picking ahead of the Bengals in the second round. To give them a first-round board so they could make their adjustments, we offered the seven-round mock of NFL.com's Chad Reuter

33.JETS _ WR Denzel Boston, Washington; Rich Cimini, ESPN.com

Cimini was all set to take Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson here, but when he found out Reuter had mocked Simpson to the Jets at 16, he went to another huge need

34.CARDIINALS _ T Max Iheanachor, Arizona State; Darren Urban, AZcards.com

The Cards got their edge rusher at No. 3 with Texas Tech edge David Bailey. Simpson is gone, always a possibility, but they also need their right tackle of the future.

35.TITANS _ G Keylan Rutledge, Georgia Tech; Paul Kuharsky, paulkuharsky.com

In this draft, Tennessee got coveted Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love at No. 4. The center and right guard jobs are open, so give him a blocker with a new O-line coach right away.

36.RAIDERS _ DT Christen Miller, Georgia; Paul Gutierrez, Raiders.com

Who says we're lowly scribes? Cimini (at Syracuse) and Gutierrez (at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas) taught their sports journalism classes at their alma maters this week before making their picks. Gutierrez went with a massive run-stuffer to help with the switch to a 3-4.

37. GIANTS _ G Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon; Tom Rock, Newsday

Rock says right guard is the one glaring spot on the offensive line, and Pregnon fills it as a nasty people-mover that new head coach and AFC North guru John Harbaugh will love.

38. TEXANS _ DT Peter Woods, Clemson, Aaron Wilson, Channel 2

Wilson sees this as a pure BPA. In the real world, he says keep an eye on a guard or tackle.

39. BROWNS _ CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson; Tony Grossi, ESPN Cleveland

It certainly appears as if the Browns are taking tackle and wide receiver with their two first-round picks. The backups behind cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell are heading into their contract years.

40. CHIEFS – Edge T.J. Parker, Clemson, Jesse Newell, The Athletic

KC could very well take a cornerback here, too, to replace Trent McDuffie. But since this mock has the Chiefs trading up with the Chargers at No. 22 to take Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, Newell opts for one of those long run-stopping edges Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo covets.

41. BENGALS _ Edge Cashius Howell, Texas A&M; Geoff Hobson, Bengals.com

Speaking of Clemson edgers like Parker, the Bengals love what Myles Murphy did last year. Their 2023 first-round pick had a break-out season in the absence of injured Trey Hendrickson.

But was it enough for them to decide to exercise Murphy's fifth-year option for 2027? That's $14 million, which usually hasn't been a problem. But they haven't always been this jammed against the cap, either, and they need those rookie deals.

Yes, there, are cornerbacks and linebackers there. But, upon further review, edge seems to be a quiet need and has gone under the radar ever since they signed Mafe. In addition to Hendrickson, they also lost Joseph Ossai and Cam Sample, so that's a position they need numbers to surround Mafe and 2025 first-rounder Shemar Stewart even if they give Murphy the fifth-year option. And they may very well when the deadline hits next week.

Now, you can debate if Howell's the guy. He's got a Reuben Bain problem when it comes to short arms, but his hellacious spin move and speed around the corner (a torrid 1.58 seconds in the first ten yards of the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine) make him difficult to block.

And, if you want production, the man was SEC Defensive Player of the Year while becoming the first A&M defender since Von Miller 16 years ago to have multiple three-sack games. Before he transferred, he led the MAC one season in sacks at Bowling Green.

Another reason not to go backer or corner here on this Mock. The big boards say he's a steal here. Pro Football Focus has him at No. 26, Scouts, Inc., at No. 30, and The Athletic's Dane Brugler at No. 39.

Let The Board come to you,