The first Bearcat is off the board at the 2026 NFL Draft.
Cincinnati outside linebacker Jake Golday was selected as the 51st overall pick of the second round by the Minnesota Vikings. The earliest Bearcat chosen since 2022, Golday extends Cincinnati’s streak to 11-straight seasons with an NFL Draft pick.
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Before starring in the Big 12, the Arlington, TN native originally suited up for Central Arkansas at the FCS level, where he spent the first three seasons of his college career. Golday arrived at Cincinnati prior to the 2024 campaign and immediately thrived in his new home. The outside linebacker — who started eight of 12 games in his first go-around as a Bearcat — ranked second on the team with 58 tackles and 7.0 tackles for loss.
In 2025, Golday elevated his game to another level. He attained status as Cincinnati’s only First Team All-Big 12 selection behind 105 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Only Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez (who landed to the Miami Dolphins eight picks before Golday) and TCU’s Kaleb Elarms-Orr racked up more tackles last fall than the Cincinnati outside linebacker.
Golday earned an invite to the 2026 NFL Combine where he elevated his stock. He measured above 6’4” and weighed in at 239 pounds. His most impressive measurements at the linebacker position included his 4.62-second 40-yard dash, 39-inch vertical, and 10-foot-5-inch broad jump.
Golday is the non-edge linebacker selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, following Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Jacob Rodriguez, and Josiah Trotter. He joins a Minnesota Vikings squad that currently employs the last Cincinnati linebacker to register 100 tackles in a season — Ivan Pace Jr. Although they weren’t college teammates, the two Bearcat linebackers are now united in Minnesota in a room that also includes Andrew Van Ginkel, Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, and Dallas Turner.
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