Talented Rueben Bain Jr., Akheem Mesidor expected to make NFL draft splash — but some questions loom

Seventh in an 11-part series. Coming tomorrow: linebackers.

Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza was the biggest star of the College Football Playoffs. But just behind him were a pair of Miami edge rushers who sacked Mendoza three times in the championship game and wreaked havoc during the entire playoffs.

Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor made a name for themselves during the Hurricanes' playoff run. But while Mendoza is a lock to go No. 1 overall to the Raiders in this year's NFL draft, there are questions about where Bain and Mesidor will go.

That is because for all of their on-field domination and impressive tape, they each have a knock or two against them. Bain's arms measured 30 inches at the scouting combine, the third shortest recorded for an edge rusher. Mesidor is already 25 years old and has battled injuries throughout his six-year college career.

The duo combined for over 100 pressures and 20 sacks in 2025. That should be enough to convince teams to take them, but how high?

I do think both ultimately go in the first round, but if Mesidor slips, it will be understandable because he's a little bit older and he's got the injuries," ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller said this week.

Rueben Bain Jr. of the Miami Hurricanes participates in the 2026 Miami Pro Day at Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility on March 23, 2026 in Coral Gables, Florida. Getty Images

Bain is the more highly regarded prospect. He led FBS in pressures with 83 and had 9.5 sacks in 2025. He was especially impressive during the playoffs - when he had five sacks, including three against Texas A&M.

He's interesting because he could legitimately go anywhere from 3-12 probably," Miller said. I struggle to find a team in the top nine that says, Yeah, we'll take him.' I talked to one general manager who said, Love the tape, but the arm length is really hard to overlook.' It kind of shows up on tape at times. He's not the super-twitch guy. He's kind of built like a tweener."

Bain's short arms are a big question mark. Miller said there have been no players in the past 25 years to have arms shorter than 31 inches who had 10 or more sacks in the NFL.

I think for a pass rusher, you can counter a lack of length with power and with speed," Miller said. Bain has great power. He has really strong hands. He has active hands. He has a good pass rush plan. What worries me is you have short arms, and he's just not that twitched-up type of guy. He's very stocky. I think that's where you look at it and say, Gosh, I wish you were 285 because you could kick inside.' He's not. He came in at 264. Where do you play that guy?"

Akheem Mesidor of the Miami Hurricanes participates in the 2026 Miami Pro Day at Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility on March 23, 2026 in Coral Gables, Florida. Getty Images

At the combine in February, Bain said he had not heard from any of the teams about his arm length. He passed it off as just media noise.

None of the teams mentioned that to me, so I really don't give the kind of time of day for it," Bain said. That's all stuff I feel like you see on social media, none of the teams had concerns, so I'm not too concerned."

Miller believes the Chiefs or Bengals at picks Nos. 9 and 10 could take Bain.

I think he's one of the most fascinating players in the entire draft just because he was a household name [during the playoffs]," Miller said. In January, if I said he might go 10, you would have thought I was crazy. Now, it's probably nine, 10, 12, somewhere around there."

Like Bain, Mesidor was a star during the playoffs, putting up 5.5 sacks.

I think if you just looked at the tape, you would think top-15 pick," Miller said. He's fast. He's angry against the run. He stacks up well. He's an older prospect and he's had a lot of injuries. That's the thing you worry about with him. He's 25, you've had three notable injuries. Where does that put him? I think it puts him in the back half of Round 1, maybe mid-20s."

Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. does a football workout during the school's NFL Pro Day, Monday March 23, 2026. AP

Mesidor spent six years in college. He was at West Virginia for two years before spending four at Miami. He did not really put it together until last year. He dealt with foot and shoulder injuries that cost him a lot of games.

I think what you have to worry about is, did this dude dominate because he's 24 going against 18- and 19-year-olds?" Miller said. That development gap is massive. If you've been in college for six years, yeah, you should be kicking the [crap] out of a true freshman or sophomore. I worry when a guy's impact year comes late because you have to have that question of, did it just click or maybe you finally got healthy or are you beating up on kids right now? It's really hard to know that."