The Tampa Bay Buccaneers sat patiently with the 15th-overall pick, and they landed arguably the best pass rusher in the draft, selecting Rueben Bain Jr. The edge defender was once projected to go in the top five picks of the draft, but on Thursday, he slid right into Tampa Bay’s lap, and the team’s defense is now better because of it.
Bain is a relentless defender, who is just as good against the run as he is getting after the passer. For a Buccaneers defense with a prideful history, they slipped below the standard in 2025, especially when it came to getting after the passer. Defensive-minded head coach Todd Bowles knows that can’t be the case if the team is going to get back to contender status, and that’s why the franchise made the decision to get Rueben Bain Jr.
Buccaneers select Rueben Bain Jr. with 15th-overall pick
Cut on Bain’s tape and it’s clear that he’s everything a team could want in a cornerstone defender. Lining up mostly on the edge, he’s strong, fast, explosive, violent, flexible, and most importantly, relentless. With those traits, Bain was able to rack up 20.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for a loss in 38 games duding his three years at Miami.
During the pre-draft process, the edge defender received a lot of criticism for his arm length, which measured at 30 7/8” at the scouting combine. Since that measurement is relatively short for NFL edge defenders, there were concerns about Bain’s ability to adjust at the next level. However, the edge defender has all the other tools necessary to be a productive edge defender, and his arm length has stopped him yet.
The Buccaneers are betting that the singular measurement won’t be an issue in the NFL either. If Tampa Bay is correct, Bain will be an addition that can immediately transform the team’s defense. In 2025, the Buccaneers only recorded 37 sacks, which ranked 19th in the NFL. It also took Todd Bowles dialing up a lot of pressures to get to that number.
The hope with Bain is that he will be able to generate pressure himself with his promising pass rushing skills. If the 15th-overall pick can do that, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense should elevate, and as a result, the entire team should improve.
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