2026 NFL DRAFT
PROSPECT PROFILE
REUBEN BAIN
EDGE, MIAMI 6-2, 263
Strengths
- Elite first step off the line
- Deep bag of pass rush moves including dips, rips, swipes, club overs and swims
- Wins with speed but has the power to anchor and set an edge. He is a good run defender
- Fantastic motor. He continues to fight through the rep even if he is stopped and routinely keeps working to make tackles beyond the LOS
- Can win with pure power when he needs to
- Equally effective from a two-point stance or with his hand in the dirt. Very alignment flexible
Weaknesses
- Arm length measurements are not ideal for NFL edge standards
- Needs to develop a natural counter when his initial plan is stalled. Now he just resorts to power
- Sometimes shoots gaps rotating his back to the line washing him out
Reuben Bain will be polarizing to evaluators who are firm in the measurement beliefs to play edge in the NFL. He is smaller in stature than your typical edge players in weight and arm size, but his explosiveness is representative of the top pass rushers in the NFL. Bain has the quickness and bend that cannot be taught. Any defensive coordinator that plays him exclusively as a DE or OLB will be misusing him. He is best being toggled in various alignments to maximize his ability to win immediately and put the opposition in conflict and he will beat lesser tackles regularly.
I would not hesitate to take Bain as the first pass rusher off the board. People can use measurements and testing to overthink the production and ability that plays on tape. Bain has some of the most explosive and fun edge tape in this class and I expect him to be a top five player selected in this draft and is a steal going later than that. He would be the perfect edge compliment for the Los Angeles Chargers, but there is never a chance they will have the ability to select him without a massive trade up into the top of the draft.
