Bengals predicted by ESPN's Mel Kiper to get dream draft scenario with 9.5 sack pass rusher

The Cincinnati Bengals are heading into a 2026 offseason with a very clear goal of addressing the defensive side of the ball after some major issues in 2025.

Offensively, the team is all but set. But, on the defense, the Bengals could use interior defensive linemen, linebackers, cornerbacks, safeties, and especially pass rushers.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. predicted that the Bengals, in his latest mock draft, would have a dream scenario. After nine players were taken, the Bengals in Kiper's pre-NFL Scouting Combine mock draft would land Miami's Ruben Bain Jr. at 10th overall.

Bengals predicted to land Ruben Bain Jr. 10th overall by Mel Kiper

"If Bain is still on the board at No. 10," Kiper writes, "the Bengals should sprint the card in with his name on it."

The Bengals could use more pass-rush help this offseason, as Trey Hendrickson is set to leave, whether it's a departure in free agency or a tag-and-trade.

Shemar Stewart was a disappointment, and Myles Murphy is still a bit of a question mark. Adding Bain, a pass rusher with "the ability to wreck opponent game plans" per Kiper, it would be a no-brainer for the Bengals at 10th overall.

Bain has, at times, been predicted to be taken by the New York Jets at No. 2 overall. He's also been consistently going higher in most mock drafts.

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But, if the Bengals could somehow get a falling Bain to reach them at No. 10, then the Bengals, as Kiper notes, should sprint to turn in their draft card with Bain as the pick.

"He brings power, speed, and bend," according to Kiper. The Miami Hurricanes pass rusher had 9.5 sacks this season, which was the most he's had in a season so far in his career.

While taking Bain will be a lot of investment into the team's defensive line, he normally wouldn't make it to the Bengals pick. While they could take a cornerback, linebacker, or some other position, Bain would be too enticing to pass up.

This would be a dream scenario for the Bengals, as they could land one of the best, if not the best, pass rushers in the NFL Draft by sticking and picking at No. 10.

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