NFL insider Mel Kiper Jr. has released his final mock draft. While most of his top choices are consistent, things took an interesting turn when he gave his opinion on the Cincinnati Bengals.

In a recent report released by ESPN, Kiper has projected the Bengals to choose cornerback Mansoor Delane as their first-round pick and defensive end Cashius Howell with their second-round pick.

Delane is emerging as the favored 10th overall pick for the Cincinnati Bengals in numerous mock drafts.

During his lone season with the LSU Tigers, Delane recorded 45 total tackles and two interceptions in 11 starts. He received unanimous All-American honors and is touted to be one of the best corners in the draft.

Kiper believes it would make "sense" if the Bengals drafted Delane in this year's draft. He highlighted his performance of recording 27 pass deflections and eight picks in four years.

"Cam Taylor-Britt signed in Indianapolis, and the No. 2 corner spot opposite DJ Turner II is up for grabs in Cincinnati," Kiper said on April 15. "Delane is technically sound, and he can make plays to get the defense off the field and put the ball in quarterback Joe Burrow’s hands."

The Bengals allowed 7.8 yards per pass attempt, which was ranked the fourth-worst in the league.

So that's why, Kiper suggests drafting Cashius Howell with their 41st pick in the second round of the draft.

Despite his physical shortcomings, Howell had elite pass rush production during his final season with the Texas A&M Aggies. he racked up 11.5 sacks, 31 tackles (20 solo) and 14 tackles for loss.

"That’s big-time production for a Cincinnati team that just lost Trey Hendrickson," Kiper stated.

Howell received numerous accolades for his impressive 2025 season, including SEC Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-SEC and unanimous All-American honors.

While Howell is expected to be the solution to the Bengals' defensive problems, he looks forward to reuniting with his former teammate, Shemar Stewart.

The Howell-Stewart Connection

Shemar Stewart and Cashius Howell were teammates at Texas A&M University during the 2024 season.

After recording 31 total tackles and 1.5 sacks, Stewart was drafted 17th overall by the Bengals in the 2025 NFL Draft.

However, Kiper is not impressed with Stewart's performances and compared his production to Howell's.

"Bengals fans will see 'Texas A&M edge rusher' and have flashbacks to last April, when the team took Shemar Stewart," Kiper added. "Stewart ended up with one sack as a rookie. Howell wears the same uniform but is on the other end of the spectrum."

Stewart had a disappointing rookie season, as he recorded just 11 tackles, one pass deflection and one sack in eight games. He also ended up tearing his PCL and returned in Week 16 for the final three regular-season games.

But Kiper believes Howell could have a very different trajectory in his rookie season. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Rishab Nandi

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore