Top-10 Talent Falls to Ravens in Final Mock, Pairing With Trey Hendrickson
When the Baltimore Ravens acquired four-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson in March, it immediately became one of the most talked-about moves of the NFL offseason.
Hendrickson has been one of the league's most consistent edge disruptors, coming off a 17.5-sack season in 2024 that led the NFL.
He's recorded double-digit sacks in four of his nine seasons, including back-to-back 17.5-sack campaigns in Cincinnati before an injury-shortened 2025 limited him to just seven games.
For Baltimore, already a perennial contender, the move signaled a clear intent to maximize the window and lean into a championship-caliber defense.
Now, just hours before the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, that plan may be accelerating.
According to Mel Kiper Jr., the Ravens could double down on their biggest offseason addition, projecting Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. to land in Baltimore at No. 14 overall.
For months, Bain has been widely viewed as a top-10 talent. If he slips into the middle of the first round, and into the hands of a contender, it could immediately shift the entire balance of power in the AFC.
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Bain is one of the most decorated defensive players in this class. In 2025 alone, he racked up 54 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, and 9.5 sacks while leading the Miami Hurricanes to a historic 13-win season.
He consistently delivered in high-pressure moments, including a dominant performance against Texas A&M in the College Football Playoff, where he recorded three sacks and four tackles for loss in a 10–3 win.
In his final season, Bain earned Consensus All-American honors and became the first player in Miami history to win both ACC Defensive Player of the Year and the Ted Hendricks Award.
Across 38 career games, he totaled 20.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss, while posting elite underlying metrics, notably 67 pressures and 54 QB hurries in 2025, numbers that ranked near the top nationally.
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The only real knock on Bain is measurables.
There's been an ongoing debate about his arm length (30 7/8 inches) and top-end athletic profile, ranking 16th among EDGE prospects in the 2026 class with a 72 athletic score at the NFL Combine.
Those are the kinds of traits that can push even highly productive pass rushers down draft boards.
But the tape and the production are hard to ignore.
And for Baltimore, this is exactly the kind of calculated bet they've historically nailed.
The Ravens finished with just 30 sacks in 2025, one of the lowest totals in franchise history, a flashing red warning for a team built on defensive identity.
While adding Trey Hendrickson raises the floor, drafting Bain could raise the ceiling.
Put the two on opposite edges, and you're suddenly looking at a complementary pairing that can stress offenses in multiple ways.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 2:28 PM.