With the college campaign now in the books, mock draft experts are kicking off the season of prognostication.
The granddaddy of them all, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., released a first-round projection. Washington Commanders fans should be very excited about the prospect he marked down before the all-important evaluation process gathers pace.
Before getting to the player, Kiper is quick to point out that it is still very early. The formal pre-draft process has not even begun. There are still head coaching jobs to be filled. Coordinator positions as well.
In Washington, there is no defensive coordinator. Dan Quinn took over defensive play-calling duties late last season from coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., and the team will soon hire a replacement.
General manager Adam Peters and Quinn will have the dominant voices in the draft room, but whoever that new defensive coordinator turns out to be, he should have some input into draft decisions. But it’s hard to imagine any defensive coach objecting to the player Kiper has Washington selecting.
Mel Kiper Jr. has the Commanders taking Rueben Bain Jr. in his new mock draft
With the No. 7 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Kiper has the Commanders picking Miami's standout defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr.
Bain was a wrecking ball in the Hurricanes' narrow loss to Indiana in the championship game. He recorded eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. He was virtually unblockable all night long.
In our recent scouting report, we noted Bain’s exceptional combination of speed and power. It will be interesting to see what kind of numbers he eventually puts up at the Senior Bowl, NFL Scouting Combine, or Miami’s pro day, assuming he participates in drills.
Watching him play, it is easy to imagine Bain posting an exceptional three-cone drill time — perhaps under seven seconds, which is almost unheard of for a man of his size. He turns the corner on opposing tackles with extraordinary suddenness. It will also be interesting to see what he does in the bench press.
Bain poses an intriguing question for defensive coaches. He doesn’t have the classic length usually found in defensive ends, nor does he have the bulk of a defensive tackle. Though he has looked fine dropping into coverage on occasion in college, he doesn’t appear to have the agility of a typical NFL linebacker.
So where does he play?
An impressive bench press performance — perhaps in the high 20s — might suggest he can play pretty much anywhere. If Bain shows the functional upper body strength to line up inside at times, defensive coordinators will be salivating over one of the most versatile front-seven defenders to enter the league in a very long time.
Even if he fails to blow scouts away in those drills, they know they are getting a gifted playmaker up front. From Washington’s point of view, it might be better if he does not overperform. If he does, Bain will probably be off the board by the time the Commanders go on the clock.
As of now, Kiper has one edge rusher going ahead of Bain. He projects Texas Tech’s David Bailey to be taken by the Tennessee Titans at No. 4. He looks the part of a modern edge more than Bain. He is leaner, longer, and quicker, and posted exceptional pass rush numbers this season against top-flight competition.
Amongst other players who have been commonly linked to Washington in recent mock drafts, Kiper has Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love going to the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 9, and Ohio State safety Caleb Downs winding up with the Cincinnati Bengals one selection later.
With an aging roster and a disappointing 2025 season in the books, Peters has to nail this pick. He got it right with Jayden Daniels in 2024. Bain could become a dominant centerpiece for Washington’s defense going forward.
If Kiper is right about the first six picks and Bain is still there at seven, he will be very hard to pass over.