Keep an eye on this SEC pass rusher.
The Cincinnati Bengals are looking for answers on defense heading into April's draft, and a new name has entered the conversation in a big way.
ESPN's Jordan Reid recently flagged the Bengals as a team to watch for Auburn defensive end Keldric Faulk, who could be in play when Cincinnati goes on the clock with the No. 10 overall pick.
Reid noted that both the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 9 and the Bengals at No. 10 are realistic landing spots for the former SEC team captain, which would make Faulk a slight reach based on where most boards have him ranked right now.
Still, the interest feels real, and it lines up with everything Cincinnati has said about prioritizing defense this offseason.
The Ideal Mold
According to Reid, Faulk checks every physical box that NFL teams look for when they're picking near the top of the draft.
Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 276 pounds, he has the kind of size and length that defensive coordinators love in a 4-3 scheme.
Scouts have compared him to Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau and 49ers defensive end Mykel Williams, two guys who came into the league with similar builds and toolsets.
Faulk's pass-rush numbers dipped in 2025, finishing with just 29 tackles and two sacks during his final college season, but the tape shows a player who is one of the best run defenders in the entire class.
He's still only 21 years old, and Reid described him as someone with real room to grow as a pass rusher once he lands in the right system.
That kind of upside is what makes him interesting, even if the production hasn't caught up to the potential yet.
Why Cincinnati Needs This Pick
The Bengals went 6-11 in 2025 and finished third in the AFC North, missing the playoffs for a third straight year.
The defense was the biggest problem all season long, allowing 28.9 points per game, which ranked 30th in the NFL, and the pass rush averaged just 2.1 sacks per game.
That was tied for 22nd across the league, and things only got worse when star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson went down with a hip injury and was limited to seven games.
Hendrickson is now gone entirely after signing a four-year, $112 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens in free agency.
Joseph Ossai left for the Jets too, which means Cincinnati's edge rotation is down to 2023 first-rounder Myles Murphy and last year's pick Shemar Stewart, neither of whom has taken a huge leap yet.
Could They Trade Down?
One thing worth watching is whether Cincinnati trades back instead of taking Faulk at 10.
The NFL Mock Draft Database currently has Faulk ranked 19th on their consensus big board, so a move down to the mid-teens could still land him while picking up extra draft capital.
And the Bengals have holes all over the defense, not just at edge.
Either way, Faulk's name keeps popping up in connection with this team, and with the draft less than a month away, that probably means something.