Former Nfl Dt Gerald Mccoy Sees Rueben Bain As An All-pro With Chiefs

Happy Draft month!

It is the first day of April, and the 2026 NFL Draft will begin in three weeks from tomorrow. Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs will finally know who the organization has deemed worthy of the top pick in the draft, whether it’s the ninth pick or sometime else on Day 1.

One of the most popular matches for the Chiefs is Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. He has been predicted to go to Kansas City through the many mock drafts of NFL media, he has grabbed the attention of plenty of draft fans, and now, a former All-Pro NFL defensive lineman sees Kansas City as the ideal destination for Bain.

Long-time defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, a six-time Pro Bowl selection with three instances on an All-Pro team, assured optimists of Bain’s profile that he “will be just fine with the right coaches” in an X post. In the same thought, he pointed to Chiefs’ defensive line coach Joe Cullen, guaranteeing an All-Pro career for Bain if he works with the veteran position coach.

Cullen was the defensive line coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, working with McCoy for two of his prime years. The all-time Buccaneer was already one of the elite defensive tackles in the NFL when Cullen joined the staff, but the coach clearly left a positive impression on McCoy.

In looking at those teams, it was notable to me that McCoy led the defense in sacks (8.5) both years under Cullen, emphasizing the lack of impact from the team’s defensive ends.

These were the top edge rushers in Tampa Bay over Cullen’s two years:

• Jacquies Smith (undrafted out of Missouri, first and second years): 13.5 sacks
• William Gholston (fourth-round pick, second and third years): Five sacks
• Howard Jones (undrafted, first year in 2015): Five sacks

McCoy didn’t get to see Cullen work with a high-profile edge defender. Yet, he believes Bain will live up to high top-10-pick expectations if general manager Brett Veach selects him.

It’s worth noting that Cullen was requested to be interviewed by two teams for the defensive coordinator position this offseason. He is staying with the Chiefs for his fifth season, and a potential selection of Bain could make this the most important year for him yet in Kansas City.