If the 2026 NFL Draft is nerve-wracking for the fans, the Cincinnati Bengals' front office must be losing sleep as they try to scheme up a way to bring aboard a high-quality, deep rookie class for once.
OK to be fair, the Bengals have had good drafts before. Perhaps at no other time in their existence have they been under so much pressure to get it right, though.
Joe Burrow will not tolerate a fourth straight season of no playoffs. Cincinnati is picking at its highest spot since 2021, when Ja'Marr Chase joined the fold as the fifth overall pick. The defense welcomed some shiny new free agents, but that side of the ball still needs serious reinforcements.
We'll see how much any given rookie can be depended upon this season, but at the very least, Who Dey Nation is hoping the 10th overall pick will have an immediate impact.
Unfortunately, the latest insider buzz has pointed to another "succession plan" type of prospect, as was the case in every first round since Chase. At least some far better news has arrived just before the weekend!
Dominant Miami Hurricanes DE Rueben Bain Jr. headed for Bengals top 30 visit...and 10th overall pick?
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported that Rueben Bain Jr. would meet with the Bengals on Friday, a mere 13 days before they go on the clock with the No. 10 overall pick.
The only real knock on Bain as a prospect is his arm length. While his overall size at 6'2", 263 pounds gives him a thick, compact build that allowed him to crush the competition in college, his 30 7/8" arms have talent evaluators concerned that Bain's game might not translate to the professional ranks.
Despite his historic outlier status in that one physical measurement, Bain has annihilated virtually everyone in front of him in his career to date. In 2025, he put up phenomenal numbers 54 combined tackles (15.5 tackles for loss) and 9.5 sacks on 68 QB pressures.
Bain's 23.5% pass rush win rate is an elite metric, as is his 92.4 PFF pass rush grade. IN a lot of ways, he's the polar opposite of Bengals 2025 first-rounder Shemar Stewart, whose limitless upside translated to only 4.5 sacks in three years at Texas A&M.
Who Dey Heads may groan at this scenario given the arm-length risk attached to Bain. It's also suboptimal to spend three first-round picks in a four-year span at the same position.
But Stewart had a rough, injury-riddled rookie campaign. He can't be counted on as the main man behind prized free agent Boye Mafe and Myles Murphy. Bain's production profile suggests he can step in right away and provide a spark to Cincinnati's pass rush, which is hurting in the wake of losing Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai to the Ravens and Jets respectively.
Drafting Bain might require a trade up. Another team in the top 10 could look past his arm length and trust that he'll overcome it like he always has.
Not holding my breath that Cincinnati will budge from the 10th pick. If anything, the Bengals are liable to trade down. And it sure feels like they're keen to draft another boundary cornerback despite DJ Turner and Dax Hill being entrenched as starters.
Rueben Bain Jr. is the one prospect who can rescue the Bengals from a reality where they either draft LSU's Mansoor Delane or Tennessee's Jermod McCoy to eventually replace Dax, or kick him back inside to the nickel spot.
In any event, at least Cincinnati is taking the possibility of drafting Bane semi-seriously with this official visit.