It is officially NFL Draft season with the NFL Combine starting this week. ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper recently released a mock draft ahead of the Combine, and some of his picks were eye-opening, but a standout was for the Cincinnati Bengals. Kiper had the Bengals drafting Rueben Bain Jr. out of Miami to help boost their pass rush off the edge, and it would be a big pick up.
The mock draft by Kiper has the Bengals drafting Rueben Bain Jr. with their pick in the first round at No. 10. The Bengals are in desperate need of help on defense. Their defense has been awful over the last few seasons, and it's one of the biggest reasons they fell off so much this year. If the Bengals grab Bain, this defense immediately has a playmaker to rebuild that side of the ball.
Kiper's analysis of Bain to the Bengals read: “If Bain is still on the board at No. 10, the Bengals should sprint the card in with his name on it. This has been a very rough defense for a few years now, and things could look a lot worse if Trey Hendrickson leaves in free agency.
“Last year's Shemar Stewart pick hasn't yielded immediate returns, either. But Bain can wreck opponents' game plans. He brings power, speed, and bend, and he had 9.5 sacks in 2025. Defensive coordinator Al Golden could move him around on the D-line to find matchup advantages and turn him loose in the pass rush.”
The Bain pickup would be a win-win for the Bengals because, as talented as he is, he can replace Trey Hendrickson if he leaves, and if he stays, it could be a great duo on defense for Cincinnati to build around.
During his three seasons in Miami, Bain dominated. He had 121 total tackles, 67 solos, 20.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and one interception. He was also a massive reason why the Hurricanes made it to the national championship game this past season, thanks to a three-sack game against Texas A&M in the opening round of the College Football Playoff and a total of five sacks.
