TribLive is highlighting the top prospects leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. The three-day event is April 23-25.
Rueben Bain Jr.
Position: Defensive end
Height/weight: 6-foot-2/263 pounds
College: Miami (Fla.)
Two sets of numbers impact Bain’s draft stock.
The defensive stats he posted on the field earned him All-American honors last fall, but the other numbers are the combine measurements that don’t match some other elite edge rushers.
First, the stats. Bain earned 2025 ACC Defensive Player of the Year after making 54 tackles, 15½ tackles for loss and 9½ sacks. The 21-year-old also received the Hendricks Award as the nation’s top defensive end while helping the Hurricanes reach the CFP national championship game.
Bain has 20½ career sacks in three years.
But at the NFL Combine, Bain measured only a fraction taller than 6-foot-2 with 30⅞-inch arms, a perceived disadvantage for shedding NFL blockers. According to ESPN Research, over the past two decades, no pass rusher with arms shorter than 31 inches was drafted in the first round.
Bain has the hands to make up for his smaller frame. But NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein noted in Bain’s draft profile that “his lack of length can lead to him being smothered if he doesn’t land the first strike.”
Did you know?
Two of the past four ACC Defensive Players of the Year were first-round selections: Pitt’s Calijah Kancey (19th pick in 2023) and Florida State’s Jermaine Johnson II (26th in 2022).
Key stat
33½ — Career tackles for loss by Bain, including 12½ as a freshman in 2023 when he earned ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.
On draft
Here is a look at where the top NFL Draft analysts rank Bain among players at his position and prospects overall:
Draft expert — Edge/Overall
Mel Kiper Jr. — third/15th
Daniel Jeremiah — third/seventh
Todd McShay — third/11th
Field Yates — third/10th
Quotable
“There’s more that he brings than shows up on the stat sheet. Just the overall physicality and toughness that he plays with.”
— NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah