Ravens Could Land Premier Defender in NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens enter the upcoming NFL Draft in a familiar spot, picking in the middle-to-late part of each round but thinking big, and holding the 14th overall pick puts them in position to potentially steal one of the most talented defensive players in the entire class. Baltimore needs edge help badly and in a draft where the top pass rushers could go early there is one name that feels almost too perfect if he slips: Rueben Bain Jr.

Bain’s production at Miami was unreal and honestly does not get talked about enough. He finished the season with 83 total pressures, which ties for the most ever recorded in the PFF college era since 2014 while also posting 9.5 sacks. Those are not just good numbers, those are historically dominant numbers especially for a player who was constantly schemed against. Bain was disruptive on almost every snap and offenses had to account for him no matter where he lined up.

Rueben Bain Jr had an incredible 2025-26 season

An all-time great Miami Hurricane🙌 pic.twitter.com/P5MzIyIKHy
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 20, 2026

What makes Bain even more intriguing for Baltimore is how versatile he is. He is not just a pure edge who wins with speed around the corner: he also has the strength to play inside the box as an interior defensive lineman and the flexibility to slide back outside on the edge. That kind of positional value is something the Ravens have always loved, especially in their front seven, where multiplicity is everything.

Why Bain Fits Perfectly in Baltimore

In Miami’s biggest games, especially the national title game, Bain showed that he is more than just a pass rush specialist. While he is usually known for disrupting quarterbacks, he really flashed his run defense and physicality shedding blocks at an absurd rate and closing gaps quickly. That ability to impact both phases makes him even more dangerous at the next level and gives a coaching staff so many options on how to deploy him.

With Jesse Minter now at the helm as head coach and Anthony Weaver brought in as defensive coordinator, the Ravens could get extremely creative with a player like Bain. Minter’s defensive background paired with Weaver’s ability to maximize front seven talent could unlock Bain’s full potential, allowing him to attack mismatches both inside and on the edge. That kind of flexibility is exactly what has made Baltimore defenses so difficult to prepare for over the years.

The reason Bain could even be available at 14 comes down to one thing: arm length. At 30 3/4 inches some teams may overthink it and let a rare talent slide due to measurables. But we have seen this story before. Kyle Hamilton was a consensus top-five talent who fell right into the Ravens’ lap and turned into an instant impact player. Bain feels like that same type of scenario.

If Bain Jr. actually falls to No. 14, the Ravens could be getting the best college football defensive lineman in the draft without having to trade up. He is absolutely a top-five talent, and landing him would not just fill a need, it would reshape the defense for years to come.

For a franchise that thrives on patience and value this could be another classic Baltimore draft night win.

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