Why Mel Kiper's Bengals mock draft pick may take big NFL Combine stock hit

The 2026 NFL Draft is full of intriguing prospects in the early part of the first round, but it's a rather top-heavy rookie class in that regard. Many of those consensus elite players in this draft have some very real drawbacks, too.

Case in point: Caleb Downs is my No. 1 player in the draft. Jeremiyah Love is second. Sonny Styles is fifth. They play safety, running back, and linebacker respectively. Positional value narratives abound.

Because those prospects are so transcendent despite their so-called "lesser-value" position, though, it's pushing some others down the board. That's what happened in ESPN expert Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest pre-Combine mock draft. Time will tell if it'd benefit the Bengals in the end.

Bengals pick Miami DL Rueben Bain Jr. 10th overall in Mel Kiper Jr.'s pre-Combine 2026 NFL mock draft

Here's what Kiper had to say about the fit between Cincinnati and Miami Hurricanes star Rueben Bain Jr., whose collegiate production is at odds with traditional NFL-threshold measurements:

"If Bain is still on the board at No. 10, the Bengals should sprint the card in with his name on it. This has been a very rough defense for a few years now, and things could look a lot worse if Trey Hendrickson leaves in free agency. Last year's Shemar Stewart pick hasn't yielded immediate returns, either. But Bain has the ability to wreck opponent game plans. He brings power, speed and bend, and he had 9.5 sacks in 2025. Defensive coordinator Al Golden could move him around on the D-line to find matchup advantages and turn him loose in the pass rush."

Bain is a weird evaluation. Dominant beyond reproach at the collegiate level. Not quite long enough to thrive as a standard NFL defensive end, or so history would suggest. Not quite big enough to flourish as a traditional interior d-lineman.

If he's going to be a double-digit sack guy in the NFL, Bain will be an outlier if his arm length is measured as expected.

NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compares the 6'3", 270-pound Bain to Brandon Graham, who's had an incredibly long and productive career as a two-time Super Bowl champ with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Not that Bain is going to emulate Graham's production as a pro. It's just a frame of reference for his play style. Even 85% of Graham would be an excellent outcome for Bain and a rare home-run pick for the Bengals in the first round.

Perhaps no single first-round prospect will be under more scrutiny at the Combine in Indy than Bain, though. We'll see what his arm measurements are, and just how athletic he is. There's no denying Bain has raw power and is technically sound on the gridiron. What's less clear is how his abilities will translate to timed drills.

Assuming Bain sticks to playing on the edge, there are certain Combine landmarks for him to hit that'll ease any doubts about how he'll translate to the NFL.

Kiper's logic is sound here on this pick. You just have to wonder how close Bain will be to the traditional "bust" territory metrics. It's absolutely worth weighing that in assessing whether he's a good selection for Cincinnati.

My gut says Bain will be a productive player regardless of where he lands. I just prefer Caleb Downs or Sonny Styles above everyone else. Alas, Kiper has Downs going to the Jets at No. 2 and Styles headed to Washington at No. 7.

Psssst. Duke Tobin. You might wanna trade up, pal.