They did it.
The Cincinnati Bengals actually signed two quality pieces in free agency.
The team landed safety Bryan Cooke and edge rusher Boye Mafe, the biggest additions since Orlando Brown three years ago.
Now, after addressing two of their most pressing needs, the Bengals have options with the 10th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
In his first mock draft since those signings, ESPN’s Fields Yates has Cincinnati taking Rueben Bain Jr. out of Miami. While Bain is also a pass rusher, Yates writes “that shouldn’t be enough to satisfy the team’s pass-rush need, which was a massive issue in 2025 (the Bengals tied for last in pass rush win rate).”
He added that the Bengals lost Joseph Ossai to the New York Jets and are sure to lose Trey Hendrickson in free agency as well.
Yates then offered a brief profile of Bain, writing that he is “a tenacious and powerful player who overcomes his lack of length with brute force at the point of attack. He had 9.5 sacks, 18.5 tackles for loss and 71 pressures in 2025.”
Bain’s strengths: The Draft profile on NFL.com says that he has loose hips, violent hands, good speed to power charge, the power of a defensive tackle with the agility of an edge, and the ability to eat blocks, among other things.
Meanwhile, according to Bleacher Report’s profile, Bain has good size with an NFL body, impressive movement skills, decent rip and cross chop moves, and physicality at the point of attack.
Bain’s weaknesses: For NFL.com, the concerns are that he has average speed in pursuit, takes plays off, ducks heads and drops eyes, and doesn’t close on QBs with great burst. And for Bleacher Report, they are that his timing with his hands needs work, he isn’t gap disciplined against the run, and he lacks explosion off the line.
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