The Kansas City Chiefs may have chosen not to draft Rueben Bain Jr. because he didn't do drills at the NFL combine.
For high-level prospects like Rueben Bain, the decision to sit out the testing at the NFL combine is almost automatic these days. It often prevents key weaknesses from being exposed, and it also allows college players to dictate what evaluators see by forcing them to rely on what they display at their respective pro days.
But that decision comes with risks, and it may have cost Bain a chance to get selected by the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s the belief of Jesse Newell of The Athletic, who offered an interesting look at the dynamic that was in play with Bain and the Chiefs.
Bain’s biggest weakness is both noteworthy and notorious at this point. He has unusually short arms for a defensive end, and that makes him an outlier, as Newell noted. The New Orleans Saints drafted a receiver with pick No. 8, and GM Mickey Loomis explained how this process works.
“We’re not looking for outliers,” Loomis said. “I say this to our guys. I’ve said this over the years. If we are looking for exceptions, then we’re not going to be here very long because exceptions are exceptions. We’re not looking for exceptions.”
Bain may or may not turn out to be the exception to this particular rule when it comes to defensive ends, but his decision not to perform probably cost him a lot of money as he fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 15.
Running a 40-yard dash and doing some other drills would have provided teams like the Chiefs and Saints with a more complete athletic profile, which could have led to Bain being selected in the top ten.
It’s easy to say that GMs like Loomis and Brett Veach of the Chiefs should rely more on the tape, but NFL GMs are risk adverse for a reason. They get fired when they draft players like Bain who don’t work out, and the defensive end put both himself and his prospective employers in a difficult position.
Newell also referred to Bain as “one of the most enigmatic players” in the draft, and he added more mystery to his profile by not testing. Bain could end up being a steal for the Bucs, but the Chief chose to address their pass rushing needs later in the draft.
If you’re after an example of how this works, look no further than R Mason Thomas, the Oklahoma edge rusher Kansas City selected in the second round. He’s a great athlete who's considered undersized, which also makes him a bit of an outlier, but second-round picks are expected to come with the kinds of flaws Thomas has, and that made him an acceptable risk.