Cardinals May Have Already Found Their Top Draft Pick

If we're taking words at face value, the Arizona Cardinals are smitten over this top pick.

Jan 8, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) against the Mississippi Rebels during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals are interviewing several prospects in Indianapolis this week as the NFL combine continues, though it appears a favorite interview may have already landed.

Miami Hurricanes edge rusher and projected high pick Rueben Bain Jr. says he met with the Cardinals this week ahead of April's 2026 NFL Draft, and he was fairly confident the meeting went well.

"Great interview. Like I said, I overprepared so I was ready for everything. The Cardinals — that was my fourth meeting — I had the mindset to go in and kill everything and have the best interview as possible. I wanted to leave that interview knowing that I was the best interview they had this whole week," Bain told reporters at the combine.

"I feel like that's the mindset that I left, and that was the impression I left because I feel like they were cheesing [smiling] ear to ear every time I said something, so I had to be doing something right."

Full clip:

“| wanted to leave that that interview knowing that I was the best interview they had this whole week.”

Miami pass rusher Reuben Bain Jr. says he had a “great” interview with the Arizona Cardinals. pic.twitter.com/Jce8BfPzbn

— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) February 25, 2026

Rueben Bain Jr. = Future Cardinals Pick?

The Cardinals are in search of pass rush help this offseason to pair opposite of Josh Sweat, who is coming off a career-high in sacks. Arizona has a handful of other capable names in the room, though none are explicitly a three-down threat.

Enter Bain, who absolutely wrecked game plans on college football's biggest stage last season. He simply wins matchups through multiple avenues and gets to the quarterback often, though there's several concerns surrounding his size (notably his one percentile arm length) and potential inability to win the reach battle against NFL tackles to generate space and separation.

NFL Draft insider Daniel Jeremiah recently met with reporters and highlighted Bain, Ohio State's Arvell Reese and Texas Tech's David Bailey as potential options if Arizona is eying an edge rusher with the third overall pick:

"Reese, I would say just because organizationally they [Arizona] haven't had as much success with a high pick on a guy who's maybe a little positionless. So Reese, maybe that that dings him a little bit in the room there, but David Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr., either one of those guys, I think would be an outstanding fit there. Literally plug-and-play. They both give you some real pass rush off the edge. So that's kind of the area that I would look."

The Cardinals have a couple of months to make that decision, though if Bain's interview went as well as he suggests, we might already have a leader in the clubhouse.