A draft debate is dividing the Kansas City Chiefs fanbase. The team holds the 9th overall pick, but one top prospect comes with a major red flag. Fans are now warning the front office to avoid a potentially costly mistake.

Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach is currently looking for premium defensive line talent. The pre-draft argument focuses on two collegiate edge rushers: David Bailey and Rueben Bain Jr.

The primary hesitation regarding Bain stems directly from his recent combine testing. Scouts have flagged his historically short arm length of  30 ⅞ inches.

His short arms raise concerns about his ability to disengage from NFL offensive tackles.

The Kansas City Chiefs are in clear need of an edge presence, with a pass rush that finished tied for 22nd in sacks and leaned heavily on George Karlaftis.

It is worth noting that Bain has amassed impressive college numbers, totalling 121 tackles with 20.5 sacks.

Meanwhile, David Bailey is currently projected ahead of Bain across multiple draft platforms with a college production score of 98. He also has more tackles for loss (42) and sacks (29) compared to Bain.

In all fairness, history has not been kind to sub-31-inch edge rushers. From Nate Williams to Sutton Smith and Tyree Johnson, the results are hard to ignore: zero career sacks combined and little to no real impact.

As the first round approaches, the fanbase is pushing the front office to select Bailey and avoid Bain completely.

Fans Raise Concern Over Edge Rusher Decision

Rueben Bain Jr.'s physical limitations have become a major concern for the Fans. But more importantly, many have been vocal about why Bailey might be a better candidate.

“Bailey. I live in Lubbock and in person he’s incredible to watch and when the chief put 10 lbs on him he will be a 15-20 sack guy in the nfl in 3 years. First day starter no question huge improvement on the edge fo the chiefs," one user wrote on X.

But that wasn't all, the fan even went on to explain where Bain lacked.

“Bain will be a mistake.  Look at him verses some top talent in college. He gets shut down a lot. The nfl longer arms OTs will keep him limited,” the take further read.

For many, the under-31 arm length stood out, given the NFL's history of not favoring the stature,

“I’d lean Bailey, never draft outliers and Bain with his arm length is that. Bailey has the juice GK doesn’t have," one user said. 

Even after a clear preference for Bailey, a minority argued that Bain offers a much more complete defensive package.

“Rueben Bain and you don’t have to tell me twice whatsoever. Baileys weaknesses could keep him as a situational pass rusher on the Chiefs while Bain does everything Spags wants. Bailey would thrive with a different DC,” one supporter argued.

But the final twist came when some observers felt the debate was purely baseless.

"There is a 0% chance this happens," a user noted carefully. "If we are lucky enough that either one of them is available at 9, it’s an automatic pick."

There is a possibility of Bailey landing in the spot No 2 or No. 3, whereas Bain can land at the spot of No 7.

What would be your take if the Chiefs were reading your comments? Let us know!

Read more at the Kansas City Chiefs Community!

Written by

Shreya Mishra

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote