University of Miami pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. is facing scrutiny after being linked to a fatal car crash in 2024, leading some NFC South teams to remove him from their draft boards. His status as a top-10 pick for the 2026 NFL Draft is now in jeopardy.
When it comes to the top NFL draft prospects, teams go to extraordinary lengths to vet themâlooking for any potential red flags and any reason to slide them down their respective boards. And one of the 2026 class' very best players has become the subject of that conversation this week.
A recent report from the Read Optional states that University of Miami pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. was involved in a 2024 car crash in which one of the passengers later died. Since the news dropped on Sunday, many have speculated if Bainâwho has been projected as a top-10 pickâwill experience a slide during the selection process later this month.
Well, according to A to Z Sports, multiple NFC South teams have now soured on Bainâwith one totally flipping him off their draft board. Here's what Easton Freeze and Ryan Roberts reported yesterday:
Another source from an NFC South team told A to Z Sports that they are also aware of the incident. As of now, they have "flipped over on their board," meaning that he is close to being off the board altogether... There's another NFC South team that shares a similar opinion.
If the Carolina Panthers are indeed one of these teams, it's probably for the best that they no longer consider Bain a potential target early on.
Off-field concerns aside, one of the biggest lessons from last year's draft was how teams don't need to invest a first-round pick in order to get a quality edge prospect. Rather than target one at No. 8 overall, the Panthers elected to hold off, and still managed to get two excellent prospects on the edge in the second and third rounds.
In any case, Carolina, who holds the 19th overall selection in the first roundâhas several roster needs that should be higher priorities than the edge rotation. That includes wide receiver, safety, linebacker and tight endâat a minimum.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Panthers may be totally out Miami's Rueben Bain Jr.
Rueben Bain Jr. is linked to a 2024 car crash that resulted in the death of one passenger, raising concerns among NFL teams.
Multiple NFC South teams have expressed serious concerns about Bain and have reportedly flipped him off their draft boards.
Due to the negative attention from the car crash incident, Bain's projected status as a top-10 pick is now uncertain, with potential for him to slide in the draft.
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