The Tennessee Titans currently possess the No. 3 overall selection in the 2026 real-time NFL Draft order. They had been scheduled to claim the top pick prior to their Week 14 victory over the Cleveland Browns. The Titans will enter the offseason with needs at premium positions like EDGE and wide receiver.
Most mock drafts since September have had the Titans drafting an EDGE rusher with their first-round pick. It's understandable. Rookie Femi Oladejo is the only notable player at the position under contract through 2026, with veterans Arden Key and Jihad Ward scheduled for free agency.
One of the common mock-draft selections for the Titans has been Miami Hurricanes EDGE rusher Rueben Bain. While Bain was a popular match with the Titans early, that's quickly becoming an occurrence of the past. Concerns and questions about his pre-draft stock have started arising.
Miami EDGE Rueben Bain is quickly becoming a non-option for the Titans in the 2026 NFL Draft
There have been whispers about Bain's flailing pre-draft stock for months. Now, popular NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler is going on public record with the criticism he's heard from scouts. Brugler is claiming Bain has "Day Two" (rounds 2/3) grades, while also facing positional questions due to potential lackluster measurements.
Miami DL Rueben Bain will be one of the more polarizing prospects in this class. I talked more about it on today's pod.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) December 17, 2025
Plenty of Day 2 grades from NFL scouts. Viewed as a DT by several teams due to his size (6-2, 277, 30 3/4" arms, 9 1/4" hands).
Bain has registered just 4.5 sacks for the Hurricanes this season. His tape and production has significantly cooled throughout the second half of the campaign. Arm length questions has scouts wondering if Bain would be better-positioned as an interior defensive lineman.
Arm length isn't always the end-all, be-all. The same criticisms were said about Nik Bonitto and Aidan Hutchinson during their pre-draft processes, though it sounds like Bain's arms will measure even shorter. Nonetheless, Bonitto and Hutchinson have overcome those questions to develop into high-end pass rushers.
If the Titans are interested in drafting an EDGE in the first round, Ohio State's Arvell Reese and Auburn's Keldric Faulk could emerge as top options. Bain isn't the home-run prospect he seemingly was once considered. The potential Titans-Bain pairing is looking less likely by the day.