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Breaking Down Rueben Bain Jr.’s Film: Is He What the Bengals Need in 2026 NFL Draft?

The Bengals have the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Mike Santagata|
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Cincinnati Bengals

Rueben Bain Jr. finished his collegiate career decorated with multiple awards. He was a consensus All-American, he was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

He collected 20.5 sacks, 33.5 tackles-for-loss, and even caught an interception over his three seasons at Miami. Bain is currently projected to be a top five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Let’s dig into why he may go that high and why he could be an option for the Bengals with the 10th overall selection.

Where He Excels

  • Dominant ability to win in the run game at the point of attack. His ability and technique in block destruction stands out. This ability to win in the run game allows him to reduce down with ease.
  • Utilizes a swipe and a chop move to win around the outside or to the inside.
  • High-end get off is able to stress offensive tackles on the snap. Both an explosive athlete and also has good anticipation of the snap.
  • Does an exemplary job of handling double teams and combination blocks in the run game for an edge rusher.
  • Bain is able to transition his speed into power and bull rush through offensive linemen.

Areas of Concern

  • Length is an issue at times. He’s expected to be measured with very short arms.
  • There is meat left on the bone with his development. Sometimes he's in position to make a big play, but can't finish:
  • He'll occasionally fail to shed a run block when he’s in position to make a stop.

Overall Thoughts

Bain is a high-end defensive end prospect who could become the crown jewel of a good NFL defensive line.

As a run defender, Bain is a player that not only can win, but also reduce down and win against doubles and combination blocks. He’s exactly what modern NFL defenses are looking for as a run defender because of this ability. Most NFL defenses want to play 4-down nickel to everything, which requires a defensive end like Bain who can play to the inside at times while also setting a hard edge. His ability to deconstruct all types of one on one run blocks from offensive linemen is impressive as well. He does have the occasional lapse where he could shed to his secondary gap to make a play but does not. He also will miss a tackle here and there, most likely in part due to his short arm length.

As a pass rusher, Bain has the rare ability to win inside, outside, and through opposing tackles. His high end get off sets up his bull rush and ability to win to the outside. His understanding of pass rushing allows for him to win to the inside and punish oversets. He has functional flexibility to bend and make plays although he is not elite in this regard. There are times where he gets stuck on an offensive linemen when an initial move fails for him and he does not have the arm length to create space to work a secondary move.


Scheme Fit

A modern day edge rusher who can reduce down and handle anything thrown at him. Has the versatility to play everything from a 3 technique to a wide 9.

Grade

Mid-First Round

Pro Comparison

Za’Darius Smith

Published
Mike Santagata
MIKE SANTAGATA

Mike Santagata is an offensive line and film expert. He's written and analyzed Bengals film for the past four years. He also hosts the Always Gameday in Cincinnati podcast and is a regular guest on the Locked On Bengals podcast.

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