The Super Bowl is over, and we are now 1000% into draft season. While I have been focusing primarily on the 2026 NFL Draft linebacker class, I also want to look at the top of the draft at guys like Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. In addition to inside linebacker, outside linebacker is one of their top positional needs this year. And in a draft that seems to be by all accounts one of the weaker classes in recent memory, it lends itself to high variation.

For this reason, I am firmly in the camp of “no player is a guarantee not to be available” when the Bucs pick at No. 15 overall. Keep in mind last year the entire world thought quarterback Shadeur Sanders was going to be a top 20 pick and he lasted until the fifth round.

For some of you, a profile on Bain is a pipe dream. But it’s good to know the entire breadth of talent available because a) he could drop, and b) the Bucs could also move up.

Background and College Career

Rueben Bain Jr. was a four-star prospect, ranked 71st overall in the country, coming out of Miami Central High School during the 2023 recruiting class. He was an extremely productive pass rusher in high school, recording 48.5 sacks and 70 tackles for loss over his final two years.

Bain accepted an offer to play at the University of Miami. He started almost immediately as a freshman, posting 44 tackles, 12.5 for a loss, three forced fumbles, and 7.5 sacks his first year on campus. As a sophomore he took a step back, registering just 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks over nine games. This year as a true junior, Bain had his best season, recording 54 tackles, 15.5 for a loss, 9.5 sacks, one interception, as pass deflection and a forced fumble while earning All-American honors.

Scouting Report

Games watched: Florida 2025, Virginia Tech 2025, Ole Miss 2025, Indiana 2025

Athleticism

Height: 6-3

Weight: 270 pounds

Per Miami’s website

Rueben Bain Jr. is not a traditionally elite athlete. He has a sawed-off frame and short arms. And his long speed won’t wow people and can prevent him from making some plays defending against wide or outside zone runs. But his explosive lower half and loose joints give him a strong athletic profile for the position he plays. Bain can burst off the line with power and violence, and he maintains that acceleration around the arc.

His flexibility allows Bain to bend and change direction easily, giving him multiple paths to the quarterback. Bain’s balance helps him jump laterally and catch offensive linemen lunging/leaning.

He can play very low to the ground dipping under the reach of tackles without losing balance or speed.

My lone concern with Bain’s athletic profile is his arm length which could prevent some pressures from turning into sacks.

Pass Rush

Bain uses his hands extremely well. They are strong and violent, and he uses them as such. Bain will use a club to knock opponents a gap and a half over. He will sometimes compliment the club with a swim to clear himself. And if an unlucky tight end is asked to slow him down solo, Bain isn’t afraid to launch them with a single-armed throw. But his best use of hands is to swat punches from offensive linemen down to keep them off his frame.

He has an excellent first step and converts speed to power effortlessly. The result is the ability to put offensive tackles on their heels quickly and condense the pocket almost automatically. And he maximizes his leverage and power by driving through the chest of his opponents. When attacking the outside he has plus hand placement, tilting the outside shoulder to force tackles to open the front door.

Assuming this is the one, Violent hands is what you want… Rueben Bain Jr shows this consistently on tape… https://t.co/XABMFtuO9P pic.twitter.com/5awXpGwCVe

— RealBucsTalk (@RealBucsTalk) February 9, 2026

Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Trevonte Sylvester

Bain can execute every aspect of a creative pass rush plan. His hip fluidity makes Bain the perfect looper because he doesn’t waste any space and works across two dimensions effortlessly. His cornering is elite, especially for his size. He can flip his hips and/or get parallel to the ground with great ankle dexterity. Bain isn’t shy to throw his shoulder as he corners to give a jolt to blockers.

I do have concerns how all of this will translate to the NFL. His club is a weapon against college competition. But against longer levered NFL tackles, I don’t think it will be nearly as dangerous. That takes away his best change-up. If he crossed face more – something I think he can do, I wouldn’t be as worried. Without an effective change-up Bain becomes a speed-to-power and bend-the-arc swooper based on his sawed-off frame. That’s not a prototype that has had much success at the pro level.

In order for him to succeed with that package Bain is going to have to utilize an elite level of hand-eye coordination to keep blockers off his frame and to find spots to crater outside shoulders. That’s fine needle to thread.

Run Fitting

Bain sets a sturdy edge, gaining vertical depth and anchoring well enough to force runs back inside. When he can’t beat the tackle outside, his lack of long speed limits his ability to chase down wide‑flow runs. That’s my biggest concern in this area – Bain can struggle to stay on the outside hip of his blocker flowing outside.

#Miami EDGE Rueben Bain is often talked about for his pass rushing ability but he put on a clinic as a run defender against Indiana. Violent hands at the POA allows him to lock out and shed blocks, plus his pursuit speed and explosiveness afterward. Unbelievable power in all… pic.twitter.com/aDSgYf6W39

— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) January 20, 2026

Bain will drop to a knee to absorb double teams and has the balance to recover while holding the point of attack. When he’s unblocked or wins early, his closing burst is excellent. Bain accelerates quickly off his corner turn and finishes with good lean and body control. His eyes stay disciplined, and he transitions from reading to triggering efficiently.

His hands help him pop and punch the convergence point and keep Bain steady to make a play when the run comes his way.

Coverage

Bain’s coverage skills are wholly unknown. He had just four such reps in 2025 and 21 total for his career at Miami. But the lack of use, paired with his unique physical profile, doesn’t provide a lot of hope that he would be a player that should drop in coverage very often. Bain can get out-leveraged by quarterbacks scrambling to the edges, so I think in open space against better athletes he would be further exposed.

For that reason, he’s a bit more limited in what he helps defenses do. But if he can reach his ceiling as a pass rusher none of that will matter.

Best Traits

• Ability to convert speed to power
• Bend around the arc
• Powerful hands and a strong club move

How Does He Fit The Bucs And Best Role

Rueben Bain Jr. wouldn’t fit the traditional mold of an edge rusher Todd Bowles has employed in the past. He best profiles as a 4-3 defensive end in a four-down-and-go system where he is dropped into coverage minimally. Bain can move inside on long and late downs where his power/speed profile will cause chaos for interior offensive lineman.

Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. – Photo by: IMAGN Images –Jerome Miron

But in the Bucs’ base 3-4 defense he would struggle to have a traditional role. Bain would struggle as an outside linebacker, and if you put him on the line as a 4i or 5-technique the line suddenly becomes very small for an odd front (with Calijah Kancey playing the opposite end).

Some might say this would turn off Bucs head coach Todd Bowles. But I think Bain is exactly the type of rusher Bowles is looking for to transform his defense away from the blitz/drop heavy unit he has been employing to this point. And while Bowles would have to deploy him in a more nuanced way on early run downs, the Bucs play over 65% of their snaps in a 4-2-5 nickel. I’m just not concerned with a lack of “natural fit.”

Hear Rueben Bain Jr. Speak

Part of NFL Draft evaluations are about more than the tape. Teams want to understand the person as much as the player — how he thinks, how he processes the game, and how he integrates into a locker room. While we don’t have access to the full depth of team interviews, I looked through a few interviews and media availability’s he has had in the last year.

Here is a quick clip of him prior to Miami’s matchup against Ohio State in the College Football Playoffs.

My big takeaway here is how Rueben Bain Jr. emphasized prioritizing football even while completing his coursework and earning his degree. It speaks to his passion for the game while also showing he can finish things he has started.

Final Thoughts

The high-end stuff on tape is fantastic. But I have real concerns about whether Rueben Bain Jr. can reach and sustain his peaks at the NFL level. I think he will have be a multi-year starter and have a tier-3 grade on him (that tends to fall in the pick 34-66 range), but obviously he’ll go much higher in the draft – likely in the top 12.