What If Rueben Bain Jr. Falls Out of the Top 10 of NFL Draft?

Miami EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. is one of the best overall prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft. The tape strongly suggests that. Heading into Thursday's first round, Bain also happens to be one of the more divisive prospects with an unpredictable range of outcomes.

The No. 6 overall prospect in our top 100 rankings, finalizing Bain's evaluation isn't as straightforward as watching the film and making the determination. If it was, you'd comfortably see a talented player who helped lead the Hurricanes to a National Championship appearance this past season by registering 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. Bain is a powerful pass rusher and run stopper who generates power via active hands and effort.

Despite the on-field scouting process being a fairly straightforward experience, there's uncertainty surrounding Bain's ultimate landing spot. A fall outside the opening 10 selections feels realistic. There are a number of factors why Bain heads into Thursday without the guarantee of being a top-10 pick.

2026 NFL Draft: What if Rueben Bain Jr. Falls Outside the Top 10?

The most obvious hang-up with Bain's evaluation are his physical shortcomings. A well-known issue, Bain officially measured in with 30 ⅞” arms during the pre-draft process, a one-percentile historical result, according to MockDraftable's database. He also has a 10th-percentile wingspan (77 ⅜” and ninth-percentile hand size (9 ⅛”).

Teams really, really value length. It was part of the reason why the Jacksonville Jaguars convinced themselves to take Travon Walker ahead of Aidan Hutchinson at No. 1 overall during the 2022 NFL Draft. Hutchinson was a much easier evaluation and far more dominant prospect on tape, but teams are often infatuated with athleticism and baseline physical attributes. Bain scores negatively for NFL teams in those departments.

Fernando Mendoza, Arvell Reese, and David Bailey are largely expected to be the first three prospects off the board on Thursday. Jeremiyah Love and Sonny Styles are strong favorites to join them as top-five picks. Things get muddier from there, but Caleb Downs, Carnell Tate, Mansoor Delane, Jordyn Tyson, and at least one offensive linemen (Francis Mauigoa/Spencer Fano) are potential top-10 picks, alongside Bain.

One of Bain's best landing spots in the top 10 was the Cincinnati Bengals. They desperately need difference-making defenders, and at No. 10, were slated to miss out on the Reese/Bailey crop. Well, the Bengals traded their selection to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence. With a slew of pass rushers already on the roster, including last year's first-round pick Abdul Carter, the Giants won't be taking Bain, eliminating one of the potential top-10 landing spots.

Barring a trade, Bain's most logical fits in the top 10 are now the New Orleans Saints (No. 8) and Kansas City Chiefs (No. 9). Whispers indicate the Saints would love to nab Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate, and the Chiefs are strong suitors to get aggressive enough to acquire No. 3 from the Arizona Cardinals for Bailey or Reese.

If Bain's potential draft-day slide becomes reality, the Dallas Cowboys become a potential pairing at No. 12. Dallas desperately needs long-term solutions at edge rusher after trading Micah Parsons last offseason. If teams are overthinking Bain and looking past his dominant tape, the Cowboys could benefit from an undeserved draft-day fall.

Things could get interesting for Bain and his potential suitors on Thursday evening.

Add us as a preferred source on Google