Football

Rueben Bain's auto accidents that made national headlines on Sunday and Monday almost universally drew comparisons between the University of Miami defensive end and current NFL offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil because the toxic disclosures so late in the draft process might affect Bain's draft stock as it did Tunsil's a decade ago.But that's not how NFL teams are thinking.Tunsil isn't the player teams are using as a comparable for Bain and neither is his pre-draft fall from a top 3 prospect to No. 13 overall in 2016.Personnel department people from two NFL teams who have spoken to OutKick about the Bain story since its inception, and have added context to how Bain reacted in some of his draft meetings with teams (not awesome in some instances) are pointing away from the Tunsil comparison altogether.The so-called "comparable" these teams are discussing more closely mirrors Bain's problems on the road than Tunsil's video smoking marijuana through a gas mask that was released minutes prior to that fateful draft a decade ago.The comparable for Bain now is Alen Carter.And why not Tunsil? The Tunsil video legitimately shocked teams. They didn't know exactly what to make of it, didn't initially know what Tunsil was smoking, and had questions about his overall mindset after viewing the bizarre video.There was also very little time for teams to investigate and digest the issue and make a decision on the player, which is the reason Tunsil dropped out of the top of the draft. Bain isn't a surprise to teams, as OutKick has reported. They have known about his accidents and have asked questions about it – including to the player himself.So the Tunsil situation isn't what teams are comparing with Bain.Carter, meanwhile, definitely is because he had multiple prior driving citations. Like Bain.He was charged with reckless driving and street racing. Bain was charged with driving in a "careless or negligent manner," although Bain's attorneys eventually beat that charge in court.Carter had not really had other significant red flags beyond the driving incidents. The same assumption applies to Bain.If Carter is the closest thing the NFL has seen to Bain, that's good news for the defensive end, because Carter has had no major driving incidents during his first three NFL seasons and has been an outstanding player for the Philadelphia Eagles.It should be noted, however, that drafting is an inexact science and multiple players that never had a driving violation before the draft turned in very troubling driving records once they were drafted by the NFL. That's what Aldon Smith showed during his career. He never had any citable driving violations while at Missouri. All he did was position himself as a first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2011.And in January of 2012 he was busted for DUI.And in Sept. of 2013 he was busted for DUI.And in August of 2015 he was busted for DUI and hit-and-run driving. He was arrested in June 2019 on suspicion of DUI. And in 2021 he was arrested for felony DUI with a blood alcohol level of .288.Henry Ruggs similarly had no documented traffic citations or violations at Alabama that was part of his pre-draft profile. Indeed, Ruggs had no significant off-field red flags.And yet in 2021, Ruggs caused a fatal DUI crash when he plowed his car which he was allegedly driving at 150 MPH into the rear of another car while intoxicated.Ruggs pleaded guilty to DUI resulting in death and vehicular manslaughter and his NFL career all but ended then and there.Rashee Rice had off-field issues at SMU to the extent he fell to the second round in the 2023 draft. But none of those red flags were connected to Rice getting behind the wheel of a car.Once he got to the NFL, however, Rice's career has been punctuated by the 2024 hit-and-run crash, of which Rice was convicted and must serve some time in jail.