The Miami Dolphins‘ new front office, led by general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, decided to pass on the local product, former Miami Hurricanes star Rueben Bain Jr., in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Miami opted to take Kadyn Proctor, allowing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to draft Bain. Nonetheless, a couple of months have passed since the April draft, yet the Dolphins’ decision is still under scrutiny, especially given how Bain is performing in training camp.
Tampa Bay held a joint practice with the New York Jets, and reports shared that Bain was “a menace” for the Buccaneers. As a result, Jonathan Zaslow of ESPN Radio and “The Dan Le Batard Show” still feels that Miami made a mistake passing on Bain.
“I’m not even looking at it from the prism of Bain versus Proctor because I think that could be a little bit unfair right now because adjusting from playing offensive line at a different position, playing offensive line in college to playing offensive line in the pros, that’s a massive adjustment,” Zaslow said on the Aug. 13 edition of “The Dan Le Batard Show.”
“But I can look at it solely from the Rueben Bain prism because I know this guy’s going to be awesome. I think we had this conversation when Rueben Bain was drafted. Even if Kadyn Proctor is really good, I still hate the pick because I know Rueben Bain is going to be really good.”
Rueben Bain Jr., Kadyn Proctor Draw Comparison
Moreover, in that same segment, Chris Cote, the show’s producer, shared how it felt to see reports from training camp about Proctor and Bain’s performance in their respective joint practices.
“I literally saw the clip of him having three sacks in practice [on Aug. 12] as I was listening to a report on the Dolphins,” Cote added. “And Kadyn Proctor getting worked against the Commanders. It’s like they were happening at the same exact time. Kadyn Proctor worked at first practice versus the Commanders. Okay, that makes me feel like s–t. How did Rueben Bain do? Oh, three sacks against the Jets.”
Dolphins LB Jacob Rodriguez on Adjusting to the NFL
While Proctor will be under the microscope over the team’s decision to pass on Bain, Miami does have other intriguing rookies such as linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. Ahead of his rookie campaign, Rodriguez spoke with the NFL Network and shared an update on his transition from college to the pros so far.
“I think everybody thinks about the NFL and how it’s super hard to get into and super hard to stay in,” Rodriguez told Cameron Wolfe and Steve Smith Sr. on Aug. 3. “If you get rid of all the stuff that’s incorrect, fall in line and do the right thing, and do the simple things the best, you’ll put yourself in a good position.
“If you’re the best at walkthroughs, the best at taking notes in meetings and the best at doing the small things, you don’t have to do all these other things [and] if you just do the simple things the best, I think you’ll stay around for a long time.”
Dolphins Get Blunt Rueben Bain Jr. Verdict After 3-Sack Camp Showing