TicketsCINCINNATI – Linebacker Jake Golday leads a group of Cincinnati football players hoping to hear their names called at the 2026 NFL Draft this Thursday through Saturday in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Round one will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday with rounds two and three beginning at 7 p.m. ET on Friday. Rounds four through seven will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Draft will be televised on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network.
Cincinnati has had at least one player drafted for 10 consecutive years.
The Bearcats have had 18 players selected since 2021, including NFL stars like Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Alec Pierce and new Cincinnati Bengals safety Brian Cook.
Additionally, Cincinnati has seen 51 Bearcats drafted since 2000.
Joining Golday as Bearcats with the best opportunity to be selected by NFL teams in the draft are tight end Joe Royer, defensive tackle Dontay Corleone and wide receivers Jeff Caldwell and Cyrus Allen. Golday, Royer, Corleone and Caldwell were all invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, while Allen turned heads at the East-West Shrine Bowl as well as his Pro Day workout at UC.
Golday is projected to go on Day Two of the Draft. ESPN lists him as the No. 49 overall prospect. He is the No. 4-ranked linebacker and No. 48 player overall by The Athletic. Draft analyst Dane Brugler has the 6-4, 240-pounder from Arlington, Tenn., projected to be selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round with the No. 47 overall pick.
He was an All-Big 12 First Team and Phil Steele All-America honorable mention selection as a sideline-to-sideline linebacker in 2025. Golday led UC with 105 tackles, ranking third in the Big 12 with 8.75 tackles per game. He was a two-year starter after transferring from Central Arkansas.
Royer is ranked as the No. 12 tight end prospect by The Athletic and projects as a fourth- or fifth-rounder by Brugler. The Cincinnati native transferred back home to the Queen City to star for the Bearcats after three seasons at Ohio State. He authored one of the greatest tight end seasons in Cincinnati history in 2024, breaking Travis Kelce’s single-season tight end receptions record (45) with 50 catches for 521 yards and three scores en route to All-Big 12 First Team honors. He added 29 receptions for 416 yards and four touchdowns in 2025.
Corleone is rated the No. 30 defensive tackle in the draft by The Athletic following a standout career where the Cincinnati native was a three-time team captain. He burst on the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2022, earning Associated Press Third Team All-America honors after rating as the nation’s highest-graded defender by Pro Football Focus. He followed that up with All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2023 and 2025 – sandwiched around a First Team season in 2024.
Caldwell ranks as the No. 26 receiver by The Athletic and a likely Day Three pick by Brugler after catching 32 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns in his first and only FBS season after transferring from Lindenwood (Mo.). The 6-5 Louisville, Ky., native dazzled at the NFL Scouting Combine running a 4.31 40-yard dash to go along with a 11-2 broad jump and 42-inch vertical leap. His 1.48 10-yard dash led all combine participants.
Allen ranks as the No. 27 receiver by The Athletic and joins Caldwell with a Day Three projection from Brugler. He tied the Cincinnati record with 13 touchdown receptions in 2025. He finished with 46 catches for 736 yards en route to All-Big 12 Second Team honors last fall at UC after transferring from Texas A&M. The 5-11, 180-pounder who also starred at Louisiana Tech at the beginning of his college career proved to be a crisp route runner with exceptional hands during his lone season with the Bearcats.
Linebacker Jack Dingle (No. 34-ranked linebacker on The Athletic), defensive tackle Jalen Hunt (No. 38 DT), and center Gavin Gerhardt (No. 24 C) also rank among the Top 40 at their positions.
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