The Bucs snared one of college football’s most talented defenders, and they showed no hesitation about an issue that’s been following their new defender for months.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers pulled off a potential coup on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, landing uber-talented Miami Hurricanes edge rusher Rueben Bain, Jr. with the No. 15 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Once thought to be one of the first players taken, Bain’s stock slipped down after he measured an arm length of 30 7/8 inches at the NFL Combine.
So, why was Jason Licht comfortable with the issue where other teams were not? The Bucs’ GM made reference to a former heavyweight champion during his press conference after the pick.
“I think one of his assets is his low center of gravity and his power, his strength and his urgency,” said Licht. “Mike Tyson had shorter arms, too. He tries to win every rep, and he usually does.
“He’s very unique, where he’s got a great blend of power and athleticism. He can bend. He’s got get-off. He’s very powerful. He’s got very explosive - not just athleticism but powerful hands, powerful strength. And he plays very edgy. He plays with a chip on his shoulder.”
As far as the other concern that had been raised by some with Bain, the motor vehicle accident that he was involved in back in 2024 that resulted in a fatality , Licht said the team had been aware of it for a long time and had done their due diligence on it.
“Our scouts - shoutout Cesar Rivera - he’s been on it for a long time. We’ve known about this for a long time. I know it just came out a couple of weeks ago. It was a very tragic accident, tragic experience for the family, and it’s something that you never want to see happen.
“But, he’s a good person, was involved in something that none of us ever want to be involved in and never want any of our loved ones to be involved in.”
Now, with Bain in the building, the Bucs’ pass rush just got a shot of adrenaline that it badly needed. Tampa Bay should now have a defensive front that features Bain, Vita Vea , Calijah Kancey , and David Walker/Yaya Diaby/ Al-Quadin Muhammad . That’s significantly better than it was back in early March.
Licht believes Bain’s presence should open things up for the rest of his teammates in the front seven.
“You add a player like Rueben, and if he does what we think he can do, it opens a lot of things up,” said Licht. “It makes everybody along the D-Line better. When you can have two edge presences, the protections don’t slide as much. You have to decide where to slide them. It opens things up. Potentially now – David Walker - we have an arsenal there right now that we feel good [about], a very good rotation. With [Al-Quadin Muhammad] and still have [ Anthony Nelson ], you can’t have too many. I say it every year but then it just doesn’t work out that we can draft one at a premium, but now we did. Hopefully we can reap the rewards here.”
