Rueben Bain Jr. makes a great last impression on Bengals fans hoping Cincinnati picks him in the 2026 NFL Draft
Rueben Bain Jr. will be in Bengals mock drafts for weeks to come.
The last game of the college football season featured Indiana completing the greatest turnaround in the history of the sport, but Miami put up a good fight thanks in part to EDGE Rueben Bain Jr.
Bain, just 21 years old, had another head-turning outing Monday night in the Hurricanes’ 27-21 defeat to the Hoosiers. He posted eight tackles, three pressures, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a sack on future No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza. He finished the year with 83 pressures, 54 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks in 16 games.
Those are the numbers the Cincinnati Bengals should be looking for to bolster their pass rush this offseason, and the title game was the ultimate exclamation point for fans with eyes on the 2026 NFL Draft.
Rueben Bain Jr. is next up as Bengals fans’ popular NFL Draft target
When a dominant college player shines on the biggest of stages, plays a position of need, and there’s even a remote chance he’ll be available to be selected, a draft crush is born. That’s who Bain has become for plenty of Bengals fans.
Bain has the production on paper. He looks the part on film. He plays with an intensity that even the casual observer can identify. All of that while playing against the best teams under the brightest of lights makes him a popular name amongst the fan base.
Cincinnati knows its problem. The defense is in need of capable talent to round out the unit, and carry its weight in close games. Trey Hendrickson fit the bill for four seasons, and is about to exit via free agency after an injury-filled 2025. The Bengals need someone new to immediately provide what Hendrickson brought to the table, and complement Myles Murphy off the edge.
Bain looks like a perfect fit, and there’s no more new tape to analyze. He’s set to enter the pre-draft process and confirm his status as a top-10 pick.
Cincinnati picks No. 10 in the first round. Bengals fans are hoping he achieves that goal, but only barely.