While a burly blocker remains the most popular mock draft pick for the Ravens, it often comes with a qualifier.
That's if Miami pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. isn't there.
Bain is a consensus top talent in this year's class, but some Ravens fans remained hopeful that his shorter-than-average arms could cause him to be the latest player to slide to Baltimore at No. 14 – just like Kyle Hamilton did four years ago.
After Bain's Miami pro day on Monday, however, that dream may be dashed. In front of more than 100 NFL scouts and coaches, Bain looked like an elite talent with his mixture of bend, power, and even range in coverage.
The 2025 Ted Hendricks Award Winner as the best defensive end in college football, Bain has plenty of production on his resume. He posted 20.5 sacks over his three seasons, including 9.5 last season. He had another five sacks in four playoff games, helping Miami reach the college football national championship game.
But Bain's arm length was one of the biggest talking points at the Combine. Measuring in a tick shorter than 31 inches, it raised questions about whether he'd have trouble beating longer-limbed offensive tackles in the NFL.
"Mike Tyson wasn't the tallest guy. He wasn't the longest-limbed guy," Bain said after his Pro Day. "But when you felt him, you felt him. You kept your distance."
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah projects Bain to the Washington Commanders at No. 7 in his latest mock draft, which was released even before his pro day. ESPN’s Field Yates has Bain at No. 8 to the New Orleans Saints. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. mocked Bain at No. 9 to the Kansas City Chiefs. There's even some buzz after his pro day that Bain could go as high as No. 2 to the New York Jets.
Per ESPN Research, no edge rusher over the past two decades has been drafted in the first round with sub-31-inch arms. It appears that Bain will be the exception.
The Ravens are likely looking for another pass rusher to pair with Trey Hendrickson, Tavius Robinson, and Mike Green, especially after the Maxx Crosby trade fell through. But General Manager Eric DeCosta said one of the reasons why Baltimore took a big swing to get Hendrickson was because they needed more immediate help than the draft could reliably provide – even with pick No. 14.
"I think that in looking at the draft being positioned where we were, strategically, it was going to be challenging to probably get a guy that we thought could come in right away and really impact us at the edge," DeCosta said.
"Not to say that there won't be guys, but just looking at it, we felt like the guys that we would probably covet the most in the draft would be gone maybe before [pick No.] 14. It's typically what happens."
