One of the absolute worst things about the NFL Draft every single year is the overthinking that happens with certain top prospects in each class. The 2026 NFL Draft is no different, and despite the fact that he's been almost unanimously considered a candidate to be the first non-QB off the board all year, the media train is causing everyone to overthink Miami superstar pass rusher Rueben Bain.
Bain may not have the same physical measurables of Myles Garrett, but that doesn't mean he isn't one of the best and most well-rounded prospects in the entire class. One of the biggest knocks on Bain as a prospect, up to this point, has been his lack of arm length coming off the edge.
Typically, you don't want edge rushers to have arm length of much less than 33 inches, and ideally, if they can be approaching or over the 34-inch mark, it's ideal. When Bain checked in at the Scouting Combine with 30 7/8-inch arm length, folks started talking. And even though he wasn't a unanimous mock draft pick for the Jets before, perhaps he should be now that the pendulum is seemingly swinging back the other direction.
Rueben Bain's pro day may have solidified his status as a no-brainer for the Jets
At 6-foot-2, 263 pounds, Bain is one of the most intriguing potential top-5 picks we have studied.
Although it doesn't have to be a bad thing in his case, he's certainly one of the more uniquely built EDGE prospects to come out, and as a result, there's not much you can really compare him to. But when you watch Bain play the game, you get to see what makes him so special.
And his pro day performance at Miami was a great reminder for everyone that this guy is flat-out awesome on the football field.
Pro Football Focus has data going all the way back to 2015, if not earlier, and they recently reminded us of just how special Bain's 2025 season at Miami was. His 83 pressures last season are tied for the most ever tracked by PFF, spanning over 10 years of data. While college production doesn't always equal NFL success, it's clear to see that Bain has the type of skill set to be an elite EDGE player early on in his career.
Which leads to the ultimate point we're making here, that maybe the New York Jets have been overthinking it with Bain. Or maybe the media train has been overthinking it on behalf of the Jets.
One way or another, we've mostly had Arvell Reese in that 2nd overall slot to the Jets in mock draft scenarios, but perhaps it should still be Bain in that position. Even in the situations where we've looked at alternate scenarios, it's mostly David Bailey being picked 2nd and not Bain.
But when it comes to instant impact in the pass rush department, and the type of size to hold up against the run immediately off the edge, Bain has those traits in spades. He's so physical, yet even though his body type would indicate a power-only type of player, his agility is off the charts.
And all it took was a pro day performance from Bain to get everyone circling back to the initial thoughts about him: Maybe he truly is the best non-QB in this class.