In the April 2026 NFL Draft, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats had four players selected, the most since 2022, when a record nine UC players heard their name called.
Linebacker Jake Golday went to the Minnesota Vikings in Round 2, tight end Joe Royer to the Cleveland Browns in Round 5, receiver Cyrus Allen to the Kansas Chiefs in Round 5 and center Gavin Gerhardt joined Golday with the Vikings in Round 7.
Several Bearcats signed undrafted free-agent deals, including receiver Jeff Caldwell with the Chiefs and linebacker Jack Dingle with the hometown Cincinnati Bengals.
Naturally, that leads us to wonder, which Bearcats could be picked in the 2027 NFL Draft in Washington, D.C.?
Top 10 UC Bearcats who could be in 2027 NFL Draft
2. Joe Cotton, offensive tackle – The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Cotton is another discovery of general manager Zach Grant’s personnel department as the Bearcats found him at South Dakota. He immediately started on coach Nic Cardwell’s offensive line, which allowed just eight sacks all season and were Joe Moore Award semifinalists.
3. Taran Tyo, offensive guard-center – At 6-foot-3 and 325 pounds, Tyo also immediately started after transferring from Ball State. Believed to be the strongest of the offensive linemen, he was part of the group that was named Big 12 Offensive Line of the Week three times for their performances against Northwestern State, Kansas and Iowa State, as well as getting a Pro Football Focus nod for their convincing win over Iowa State at Nippert Stadium.
4. Max Fletcher, punter/holder – The 6-foot-6, 190-pound Fletcher has made an impact since transferring from Arkansas and taking over for his brother, Mason Fletcher. From Australia’s Pro Kick Academy, he’s the third Aussie punter the Bearcats have had since 2017 (James Smith, Mason and now Max). He was All-Big 12 last season, averaging 45.4 yards per boot with 18 kicks downed inside the 20-yard line. Before coming to UC, he was All-SEC at Arkansas in 2023. Fletcher and UC long snapper Eli Stein have been together since their days as Razorbacks.
5. MJ Cannon, defensive back, Bowling Green transfer – Cannon played against the Bearcats last season, and his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame stood out enough to warrant a bump to the Big 12 this season. For the Falcons, he had 57 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Two of those tackles for loss came against the Bearcats last September. He was Third Team All-Mid-American Conference last season and made Second Team All-Missouri Valley Conference at Illinois State in 2024.
6. Antwan Peek Jr, “Cat” (defensive back/linebacker) – Now at 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, Peek Jr. is in the hybrid position known as “star” last season but now called “Cat.” He had 59 tackles last season, including 11 vs. BYU and a fumble recovery in the road win at Kansas. Peek was named a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist and was PFF’s Big 12 Top Safety. Peek began his career as a walk-on from Indian Hill High School and made his first start in 2023.
7. Jonathan Thompson, linebacker – The 6-foot-2, 228-pounder has been a mainstay at linebacker, which remains a strong position for the Bearcats despite the loss of Golday and Dingle to the NFL. Thompson was second to Golday in tackles with 74 last year and added 8.5 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries.
8. Judea Milon, offensive line – The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder should finally get a chance to prove himself after transferring from Tyler Junior College in Texas and missing his first two seasons. He played in 12 games last year as a backup and hopes to fill the big shoes vacated by the loss of Deondre Buford and Gerhardt to graduation. He’ll be pushed, but has caught the eye of head coach Scott Satterfield.
9. Jasper Beeler, safety, Northern Illinois transfer – The Bearcats picked up a trio of new defenders from the Huskies, including the 6-foot-1, 192-pound Beeler, who had 77 tackles and three interceptions last season. That’s one more than the Bearcats had as a team in 2025. He had a 13-tackle game against Western Michigan.
10. Stephen Rusnak, kicker – The 6-foot, 195-pound Rusnak was 13-for-17 kicking last season and made all 47 of his point-after attempts. He was 9-for-9 on kicks from 39 yards in, and dating back to the 2024 season at Charlotte he had made 22 straight field goals at one point. His only misses came in November losses at Utah and vs. BYU.
Other Cincinnati Bearcats to watch as NFL possibilities
Offensively, new UC quarterback JC French IV was efficient in the spring. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, he threw for 2,929 yards and 20 touchdowns at Georgia Southern, while running for 315 yards and six scores.
Running backs Gi’Bran Payne (5-foot-10, 210 pounds) from Notre Dame and Zylan Perry (5-foot-11, 212 pounds) from Louisiana both made powerful runs during the spring. Payne looks like a short-yardage plus, while Perry has the better résumé, currently having had close to 1,400 yards rushing the past two seasons in the Sun Belt Conference. He was also the 2023 FBS leader in kick return yards with 862.
Defensively, a senior to watch may be 6-foot-2, 335-pound defensive lineman Josh Hough, who had 85 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and three sacks at Division II California (Pennsylvania). Anything close to those stats would get him noticed, plus he’s athletic enough to have started his career as a running back at Syracuse.
The picture will start to become clearer once cleat meets pigskin when UC begins its season Sept. 5 vs. Boston College.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats super early 2027 NFL Draft possibilities
Reporting by Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
