Rueben Bain Jr. Scouting Report

Rueben Bain Jr. is a physically dominant edge rusher who uses a blend of explosiveness and strength to provide dominant reps in both the run game and as a pass rusher.

Draft Grade: Round 1 - Pro Bowl Caliber

Strengths:

Power: Bain has great power in his hands and overall frame, which allows him to be a physically dominant defensive lineman in the run game and rushing the passer.

Versatility: Bain has played many different alignments along the defensive front and has proven to be effective and impactful from each.

First-Step Explosiveness: Bain has a quick and explosive first step that sets the stage for him to dominate a rep in the run game or as a pass rusher.

High Motor: Bain has proven through his career to be a sideline-to-sideline player who will pursue players all over the field to make the tackle.

Concerns:

Awareness/Overaggressiveness: Whether in the run game or rushing the quarterback, Bain will sometimes put his head down and run himself out of the play, taking a track that takes him past the ball carrier or quarterback.  

Injury: Bain had an injury to end his sophomore year. It's something of note moving forward to make sure there is no possibility of a recurrence.

Rueben Bain Jr. Summary/Projection:

Rueben Bain Jr. is a true junior prospect who has been an impactful defensive player for the Miami Hurricanes' defense since his arrival on campus as a freshman. Bain Jr. has quickly elevated himself to being one of the best defensive prospects in college football through his playmaking ability and physical dominance. Bain Jr. combines a unique blend of size, power, and athleticism, which serves as the main source of how he is able to make impactful plays as a run defender and as a pass rusher.

Evaluating Bain as a run defender first, the first unique trait of Bain is his versatility. At Miami, they use Bain along the defensive front in different alignments and allow him to also get in different stances such as two-, three-, or four-point stances. From different alignments, Bain has different ways of being a dominant run defender. When Bain decides to blend his quickness and power together, he can get into gaps and overwhelm offensive linemen who aren't quick or strong enough to prevent him from penetrating the backfield. In the backfield, Bain has great reactionary athleticism and quickness to redirect to the path of the football and make tackles. Bain can be a violent tackler and has the physical temperament to inflict pain on ball carriers—he is a tone-setter. When Bain has to switch up his assignment and is asked to maintain the line of scrimmage, he shows the ability to shoot his hands, lock out offensive linemen, and maintain the point of attack. Bain has strong hands and can shed offensive linemen quickly to free himself to make a play on the football. He has a thick, powerful base, which allows him to anchor and makes him difficult to move in the run game. Bain's physical profile allows him to win in multiple ways as a run defender, depending on assignment and scheme.

As a pass rusher, Bain is also alignment-versatile and can attack and win from any alignment. On the perimeter, Bain can align from outside the tackle to a wide 9-technique. At the snap, Bain has an explosive first step that immediately puts the offensive lineman in a complex situation. At the contact point with the offense, Bain Jr. has multiple ways in which he can win. First, he can continue the outside arc to win around the edge using a dip-and-rip move and power his way to the quarterback. Bain can also combine an array of moves, such as cross-chops, club moves, and spin moves, to win. Lastly, Bain can go speed-to-power and overwhelm offensive linemen by running straight through them, collapsing them into the pocket, and getting to the quarterback. Bain has strong, violent hands and power, and when he uses a bull rush, it becomes very difficult for offensive linemen to anchor and keep him from the quarterback. Bain has a great set of tools that he can develop into a dominant power edge rusher.

Bain has two main concerns as a player. First is the question of Bain as a tweener prospect. Bain weighs around the 285-pound mark, which fits the mold of an interior defensive lineman, and brings up the question of whether he is athletic enough to win with speed in the NFL around the corner, or if he should be moved inside to the IDL position and win from that alignment. The other concern is making sure that his injury from 2024 is not a recurring issue.