For the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, the Kansas City Chiefs will be on the clock with a top-10 selection.
As such, and given their glaring needs on both sides of the ball, they need to be extremely intentional with whomever they select.
For most of the pre-draft process, they’ve been tied to a CB like Mansoor Delane or an OT to replace Jawaan Taylor. However, according to an unnamed AFC North scout interviewed by ESPN, that might not be the case.
Acting as a “stand-in GM” for the Chiefs in the ESPN piece, the scout would gladly take Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. if he’s available at No. 9.
Chiefs could make a run at Rueben Bain Jr.
“I can’t believe the other scouts let the board fall this way, but we will gladly select Bain and look to grab a defensive back with pick No. 29,” he said.
Notably, the thought of Bain slipping to No. 9 would’ve been almost impossible two months ago.
However, questions about his arm length have sparked major debate about his ability to hold his own against pros. Per the scout, he should be like a fish in fresh water.
“Bain is a powerful edge with great leverage, a great motor, and he was unstoppable in the College Football Playoffs when you’re seeing the best versus the best,” the scout added.
Production-wise and tape-wise, it would be hard to disagree with him. He logged 33.5 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks over three years in college, and he was instrumental in leading the University of Miami to the College Football Playoff national championship game.
The Chiefs could certainly use some help in the pass-rushing department, given defensive end George Karlaftis’ somewhat underwhelming play and defensive tackle Chris Jones’ age.
Whether Bain will be able to silence the critics and shut down the noise about his measurements remains to be seen.