The NFL Combine results drop this week, and two names will dominate the conversation in Indianapolis: Rueben Bain Jr. and Francis Mauigoa. The Miami Hurricanes’ dynamic duo – one terrorizing quarterbacks
from the defensive line, the other protecting them on the offensive line – are both projected as top-10 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
If both land in the top 10, Miami will join rarefied air. And if they somehow crack the top 5? They’ll accomplish something that hasn’t been done in 16 years and only three times in modern day NFL Draft history (2010 Oklahoma, 1985 Pittsburgh, and 1977 USC).
The Projections Are In
Many reputable 2026 NFL Mock Drafts have Mauigoa and Bain landing in the top ten or even more bullish with some projecting them both in the top five. On the consensus big board and consensus mock draft Mauigoa and Bain currently rank third and fourth behind only Indiana’s QB Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State’s LB Arvell Reese.
Mauigoa is universally ranked as the top offensive tackle in the class, with scouts drooling over his combination of size (6’6″, 335 pounds), finishing mentality, and brute strength. He anchors well in pass protection and drives defenders off the ball in the run game, possessing the mean streak teams covet.
Bain has been polarizing due to arm length concerns (under 31 inches), but evaluators are buying into his strength, motor, and well-developed hands as a pass rusher. Although he lacks ideal length, he compensates with powerful hands and upper-body strength, finishing the season with 54 tackles and 9.5 sacks. Bain finished his final college season destroying the best offensive lines in the nation en route to Miami’s national championship appearance.
The combination is unprecedented for modern Miami football. That is, Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes are building championships from the trenches out, and now the NFL is taking notice.
A Rare Historical Feat
Having both an offensive lineman and defensive lineman selected in the top 10 of the same draft from the same school is almost unheard of. In fact, it’s only happened three times since 1985:
The 2010 Oklahoma Sooners made history when three of the top four picks – quarterback Sam Bradford (1st), defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (3rd), and offensive tackle Trent Williams (4th) – were from the same team. That draft also featured Bedlam rival Oklahoma State offensive tackle Russell Okung going 6th overall, giving the Big 12 five of the top six picks. Miami did have a quarterback drafted first overall last year, so although the feat of placing a quarterback, offensive lineman, and defensive lineman from the same school did not happen for the Canes, they are continuing a good streak of draft placement.
Before that, it happened thirteen years prior when FSU placed two in the top ten with Walter Jones (6th) and Peter Boulware (4th). The last time and offensive line/defensive line duo from the same program were selected top five was 25 years prior to Oklahoma’s 2010 team when Pittsburgh had offensive guard Bill Fralic (2nd) and defensive end Chris Doleman (4th) go early and USC was the first team to accomplish this feat in 1977 with offensive tackle Marvin Powell (4th) and defensive end Gary Jeter (5th).
Several schools have come tantalizingly close to having both trenches represented in the top 10, where various programs have had two go in the top 20, which is almost a guarantee for Mauigoa and Bain this year. Expanding the reach for an offensive line/defensive line duo to 20 has occurred 17 times, most recently by Alabama (2024) and by the following programs: Georgia (2023), Alabama (2019), OSU (2016), Oregon (2013), UVA (2008), FSU (2005), FSU (2003), Florida (2001), Texas (2001), FSU (1998), Notre Dame (1994), Michigan (1984), Colorado (1976), USC (1968), Notre Dame (1967), and Nebraska (1964).
Miami is no stranger to placing trenches into the NFL Draft early. In the 2021 NFL Draft, Gregory Rousseau and Jaelan Phillips became the first defensive ends from the same school to both be selected in the first round since NC State had a pair of ends selected in 2006, where Manny Diaz was on the staff for both teams. Mario Cristobal equally is no stranger to this type of placement of linemen into the early stages of the NFL Draft. Even though they were a year apart in draft classes, at Oregon Cristobal recruited and developed the 2021 7th overall pick (Penei Sewell) and 2022 5th overall pick (Kayvon Thibodeaux).
Miami’s Trench Revolution
Since that 2021 draft, the Canes’ trenches have reached new heights. And this isn’t an accident. This is Mario Cristobal’s vision coming to fruition.
When Cristobal arrived in Coral Gables, he preached one message: championships are won in the trenches. He recruited relentlessly on both lines, prioritizing size, strength, and nastiness over flash and speed. The results speak for themselves.
Bain was a five-star recruit who chose Miami over Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State. He won ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year as a true freshman in 2023, then in 2025 he won ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2025. His 20.5 career sacks and relentless motor make him a nightmare for offensive tackles.
Mauigoa was another five-star recruit who arrived as a freshman and immediately started. He’s been Miami’s anchor on the right side for three years, leading all qualified right tackles with an 87.0 pass-blocking grade in 2025. Now he’s projected as a potential top-3 pick and franchise cornerstone.
But it’s not just Bain and Mauigoa. The Hurricanes also have defensive end Akheem Mesidor, who transferred last year but really elevated his game this year as Bain and Mesidor routinely converged at the quarterback, especially through their playoff run. Mesidor has been projected in the first round in various mock drafts and even in the 15-20 range. Miami’s defensive line depth is NFL-caliber top to bottom and that should continue next year with the return of defensive tackle Ahmad Moten and transfer addition in EDGE Damon Wilson Jr.
On the offensive side, the pipeline continues with multiple underclassmen who could be future first-rounders led by the nation’s number one recruit, Jackson Cantwell.
The formula starts in the trenches but stems out to all levels of the game with elite level physicality as DBs Keionte Scott and Jakobe Thomas also should shine at the Combine as they aim to jump into the early rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft. Nonetheless, Cristobal has built something sustainable, something that goes beyond one draft class.
The Bigger Picture
Miami’s return to NFL Draft prominence isn’t just about two elite prospects. It’s about re-establishing “The U” as a factory for professional talent, particularly in the trenches.
From 1995 to 2008, Miami had at least one first-round pick for 14 consecutive years – a record that still stands. The program set an NFL mark with a 149-week streak of at least one ProCane finding an NFL endzone between 2002-2011. This is what Miami does when Miami is Miami.
But for years, the trenches were neglected. Beyond Phillips and Rousseau, skill position players got drafted while the offensive and defensive lines were generally afterthoughts. Cristobal changed that philosophy, and now the NFL is rewarding Miami for building the right way.
With Mendoza essentially a lock at going first overall and an open field behind him, Miami has a chance at being the first program to have both an offensive and defensive lineman crack the top three picks, but that outcome is unlikely.
That said, if both Bain and Mauigoa go top 10 – and especially if both crack the top 5 – it will signal to recruits, fans, and the college football world that Miami is back. Not back to being competitive. Back to being elite. Back to churning out NFL talent at every position. Back to dominating the trenches and winning championships because of it.
The Combine results will drop this week and the measurements will be scrutinized led by Bain’s arm length. Beyond that, the 40 times will be analyzed. The interviews will be dissected.
But the tape doesn’t lie. Rueben Bain Jr. and Francis Mauigoa are elite NFL prospects who dominated college football’s biggest stages. They’re about to make history for Miami, joining an exclusive club of programs that sent both trenches to the NFL Draft’s top 10.
And if Cristobal has his way, they won’t be the last.
GO CANES. THE TRENCHES ARE BACK.
