Rueben Bain Jr., EDGE, Miami (FL)
With Trey Hendrickson likely leaving via free agency and no real answer in terms of pass rushing in the room, the Bengals need to upgrade. Sure, Myles Murphy has started to come on (three years later), but he’s more of a Sam Hubbard-type run stopper. Shemar Stewart was nothing close to being worth the 17th-overall pick (and we knew that at the time), but his life could be made easier with a legitimate threat opposite him.
Enter Rueben Bain Jr. Bain was a highly-touted recruit out of high school and ultimately signed with Miami (FL). As a true freshman, he appeared in 13 games with 12 starts and amassed 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, a pass breakup, and three forced fumbles. After battling injuries in 2024, his impact waned a bit. However, this season has been another fantastic one.
You can debate if he’s a DE or an OLB in a 3-4 defense, but you cannot debate that Rueben Bain Jr. will be Top-5 pick pic.twitter.com/2XwvZTgV6K
— Bobby Bishop (@_BobbyBishop) January 1, 2026
An All-American at the position, Bain is entering the CFP Semifinals with 45 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, an interception, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble.
There will be “concerns” about his arm length. However, people with eyes can see that he can overcome it quite easily. Bain is about as relentless and powerful an EDGE out there and could be that instant-impact player the Bengals need since they passed on James Pearce, who set the Falcons’ rookie sack record with 10.5 and 10 tackles for loss.
If the Bengals are serious about upgrading the pass rush, Bain would be a fantastic get.
