Rueben Bain would be top 5 2024 NFL Draft Edge rusher with everyone eligible

Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus named Rueben Bain as the fifth-best edge rusher prospect if EVERYONE in college football was eligible. James Pearce of Tennessee, Laiatu Latu of UCLA, Nic Scourton of Texas A&M and Jared Verse of Florida State are the only edge rushers ranked ahead of Bain.

Latu and Verse will be first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft Thursday. Pearce and Scourton are eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft. Bain will not be eligible for the NFL Draft until 2026. Bain is ranked ahead of 2024 draft-eligible edge rushers, Dallas Turner of Alabama, Chop Robinson of Penn State and Bralen Trice of Washington.

Jack Sawyer of Ohio State and Ashton Gilette of Louisville who are eligible for the 2025 NFL Draft round out Chadwick's list of top 10 edge rushers regardless of what year they are eligible for the NFL Draft. Most of the edge rushers listed by Chadwick are projected as future first-round picks.

Bain had a breakout true freshman season in 2023 with 44 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one pass defended. At the end of the 2023 season, Bain was named the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year, Third Team All-ACC and a consensus Freshman All-America.

"5. RUEBEN BAIN JR., MIAMI (FL), 2026
Bain is the only rising sophomore on this list thanks to his eye-opening true freshman campaign. The former top-60 recruit posted an 89.3 pass-rush grade in 2023. That’s the second-best PFF’s seen by any Power Five true freshman since we began charting college football in 2014. Three of the other players in the top-five are currently among the best players in the NFL at their respective positions while the other is currently one of the best linebackers in college football.

Highest pass-rushing grades by a Power Five true freshman in PFF College era (Since 2014, min. 150 pass-rushing snaps):
Name School Season Pass-rush grade
Myles Garrett Texas A&M 2014 92.1
Rueben Bain Jr. Miami (FL) 2023 89.3
Harold Perkins LSU 2022 87.6
Nick Bosa Ohio State 2016 85.0
Dexter Lawrence Clemson 2016 83.1
Bain’s 18.4% pass-rush win-rate in 2023 was a top-15 mark among Power Five edge defenders while his 18 run-defense stops were tied for sixth among ACC ones. He’s a bigger edge defender at 275 pounds and already has advanced hand usage for a player his age. Expect Bain to climb this list in the coming years. "

- Max Chadwick, Pro Football Focus

Bain amassed elite numbers after playing sparingly in the first three games in 2023. Bain started the final 10 games for Miami in 2023. In 2023 Bain led all freshmen nationally in TFLs and was third in sacks. Those numbers should increase in 2024. Bain will enter the 2024 season as a starter and potential All-American candidate.

Bain has significantly exceeded his ranking as the 71st overall prospect, 10th edge rusher and 15th recruit in Florida in the 2023 class. Entering the 2024 season, Bain is one of the best-returning edge rushers in the country. Bain is on pace to finish his Miami career in the top 10 in sacks in program history.