Round One Mock: Commanders Select Rueben Bain Jr.

The Commanders, who have yet to finalize plans on a Defensive Coordinator, have performance upgrades to do at setting the edge (stopping the run), turning the ball over, and pressuring the Quarterback. 

People argue the Pass Rush Specialist, speed rushers, gives you the quarterback pressure which then leads to turnovers. So you take a David Bailey. Who can train under Von Miller.

Stopping the run was a glaring weakness in the 2025 Commander Defense. Selecting edge setters who can pressure the QB is a multidimensional fix. So you pick a Rueben Bain or a Keldric Faulk. 

Personally, I don't like seeing the Edge get wiped out. So I'm biased toward the big guys. I'm a run the damn ball and stop the freaking run kind of guy. 

But if you want lots of sacks and turnovers, you might prefer the speed guys. Just you might see a lot of third down runs by your opponent.  

7. Rueben Bain Jr. EDGE Miami (FL), 6-3, 275 lbs Highlights. All-22 Breakdown. NFL Not Ready. Interview.

Here's the blurb on Bain you see during mock drafts on Pro Football Network: 

"Rueben Bain Jr. has been a disruptive defender for as long as he's been on the college football circuit. After joining the Hurricanes as a four-star recruit, Bain racked up 7.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles in his true freshman campaign. Bain's sophomore season was less productive due to a calf injury, but he returned to form as a legitimate game-wrecker at his best in 2025. He earned All-American honors in the process of accruing 8.5 sacks, 13 TFLs, and a strong PFSN EDGE Impact score of 82.7. At 275 pounds, Bain has a rare body type for the position, with elite compact mass and natural leverage, and he's an explosive long-track accelerator with awesome raw hand power. With his power and raw strength, Bain can sledge through tackles and overwhelm 1-on-1 as a pass-rusher, but he also has the hyper-elite sturdiness to absorb combo and duo blocks in the run game, and sets an edge with unflinching consistency. While power is Bain's primary mode, he has a deep pass-rush bag and smooth upper-lower synergy, superb strength, IQ, and pursuit range in run defense, and surprising flexibility as a finisher. There has been talk of him potentially transitioning to DT in the NFL, but he fits best as an alignment-versatile EDGE, where he can use extended runways to channel power. In that role, Bain can be a plus starter and situational game-wrecker in the NFL similar to how he was in college."

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