2026 NFL Draft prospect Rueben Bain Jr. was cited for careless driving in a fatal ca accident in 2024. The Cincinnati Bengals are one of Bain's probable landing spots in the upcoming draft.
Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. started his weekend visiting the Cincinnati Bengals. He's ending the week with his name in the headlines.
A report from The Read Optional's Ollie Connolly states Bain was involved in a fatal car crash on Mar. 17, 2024 in Miami and cited for careless driving. Bain was the alleged driver of the vehicle, which included multiple college football players. The crash incapacitated one of the passengers, a 22-year old named Destiny Betts, who was left in a coma from the incident. Betts died on June 13 that same year.
A separate report states Bain was also cited for careless driving in October of 2025. Both charges were ultimately dismissed.
Bain is projected to be a top-12 selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Bengals are one of his likely landing spots. ESPN's Jordan Reid predicted the 21-year old will go off the board between the No. 9 pick and the No. 12 pick. Cincinnati owns pick No. 10.
A to Z Sports reports multiple teams have factored in the story as to whether or not they would draft Bain, or have him on their draft board altogether.
After the A to Z Sports staff became aware of the Bain news, conversations began with league sources dealing directly with this situation. That includes a conversation with one particular AFC West team that is aware of the situation. That team has Bain off the board altogether. The aforementioned "arm outlier stuff" would have been used as an excuse to not draft him early if this accident had not been reported before the draft. 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 his name "flipped over on their board," meaning that he is close to being off the board altogether. There's the potential that they could consider him with their first round selection , explaining that the talent might be too good to pass up on. There's another NFC South team that shares a similar opinion, although it's unlikely they would even have a chance to take Bain. The talent is extremely desirable but there is a lot of hesitation with the situation, and lack of comfort so far through the process.
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There are two AFC West clubs that pick ahead of the Bengals in the first round. The Las Vegas Raiders own the No. 1 pick and are expected to draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The Kansas City Chiefs own the No. 9 pick, and like the Bengals, hosted Bain on a 30 visit recently.
The NFC South has one team picking in the top 10. The New Orleans Saints are slated to pick No. 8 overall, and have also been linked to Bain throughout the process.
While this story is a surprise from a public sense, the people who may end up employing Bain were already in the know according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.
Incidents such as this are hard to hide from NFL personnel, and while pre-draft visits indicate interest, they can also be used as direct background checks. It's entirely possible Cincinnati was aware of Bain's involvement before meeting with him Friday, and used the visit to evaluate his recollection of the story.
Players with off-field concerns have fallen in many drafts of the past. It all comes down to whether or not the interested teams deem the player worthy of the risk.
It's something the Bengals will surely have to decide if they get a chance at selecting Bain.
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