Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, elite Miami Hurricanes edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. has made headlines over a previously unreported incident.

According to a report from The Read Optional, Bain Jr. was named for careless driving and fatally injuring a 22-year-old student in a 2024 incident. She sustained serious injuries and was in a coma for three months before passing away. 

According to police reports, on 17 March, 2024, Rueben Bain Jr. was driving on Interstate 95 at 4 a.m. He “struck another car before careering into concrete barriers on both sides of the highway,” The Read Optional stated. Another passenger in his vehicle was also injured.

As per the records, no sobriety tests were conducted, and officials wrote that the accident occurred because Bain Jr. “operated his vehicle in a careless or negligent manner.”

There were four passengers in Bain Jr.'s car. Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe and Nyjalik Kelly were two of them. All are draft eligible.

The Read Optional also reported that this citation was dismissed for Rueben Bain Jr. just weeks before the comatose student passed away. Outkick's Trey Wallace also reported that the DE was cited in 2025 for reckless driving. This one was also dismissed.

The Miami DE was projected as a Top 10 pick in the 2026 draft and was a key target for many teams. He was a force to be reckoned with in Miami's 2025 season. But information so shocking will have an effect on his draft stock.

What does this now mean for Rueben Bain Jr.'s future?

According to CBS Sports, Bain Jr. has already been in touch with a few teams after this news was broken. They are reportedly "satisfied with Bain's explanation." Many teams have also "considered the matter handled."

But A to Z Sports has spoken with a few teams, who are not so keen on picking the star pass rusher. One AFC team has Rueben Bain Jr. "off their board altogether."

The Read Optional has also reached out to sources within the NFL, who are still deliberating upon this matter. One told them that Bain Jr. had not been "transparent" with them.

As of now, it is still unclear whether Rueben Bain Jr. will still be drafted in the Top 10 or if he will slide down the order after this reveal.

Read more at the Cleveland Browns Community.

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Afreen Kabir