Rueben Bain Jr. May Have Made Himself Unattainable for Kansas City

With the 2025 NFL season wrapping up in less than a month, the new league year will soon be underway, and teams will be assessing their rosters heading into next season.

Part of that process is the pre-draft evaluation, starting with the NFL Combine, which takes place from Feb. 23-March 2. After that teams will continue to finalize their boards and potential moves ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. In recent years, the Kansas City Chiefs have had to operate with a fixed mindset, as they have been selecting near or at the end of the first round ever since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starting quaterback in 2018.

Dec 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is attended to by team medical staff following an injury during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, second from right, stands on the sideline Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

This time around, Kansas City owns the ninth-overall pick after going 6-11 this past season, which included Mahomes suffering a torn ACL late in the season. The Chiefs have several avenues it can take with the pick, but regardless, the selection has to transform into a foundational piece in Kansas City for the foreseeable future.

A potential fit with the Chiefs is Miami Hurricanes pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr., who played on Monday night in the National Championship game against the Indiana Hoosiers. After the game, does the sentiment still stand that Bain Jr. could end up in Kansas City at No. 9?

Assessing Bain Jr.'s Performance

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers offensive lineman Kahlil Benson (67) attempts to block Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) in the first half during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The 6-foot-3, 275-pound edge rusher had his fingerprints all over this game, wreaking havoc on Indiana's offensive line that had been stellar all season. Bain Jr. could have easily produced a multi-sack performance, but he was either held or doubled team on multiple plays.

Bain Jr. would finish the night with one sack, three run stuffs, and 2.5 tackles for loss. His lone sack came against Indiana's left tackle Carter Smith, who had not allowed one sack the entire season heading into Monday night's tilt between the No. 1 and No. 10 teams in the country.

It was an all-around performance for the first-round talent, who elevated his draft stock on Monday Night.

What This Means for the Chiefs

Nov 29, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis (56) celebrates with defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) after a sack during the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Heading into the upcoming draft, Kansas City's top need is pass rusher, as the defense totaled 33 sacks this past season, which ranked 26th in the league. Bain Jr. had been mentioned as potential option for the Chiefs with their first-round pick. The star edge rusher's one blemish by multiple draft evaluators had been his arm length, which is shorter than most players at his position.

His performance on Monday night should have erased those concerns, and even if it did not remove all doubt, Bain Jr. is probably not making it to the latter half of the top 10. Unfortunately for Kansas City, it will most likely be looking elsewhere to address its defensive line with its pick.

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