Admit it, you never expected Rueben Bain, Jr. to fall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 15 in last April's draft. It was a pipe dream then; it's still a dream now.
Bain has an NFL-level chip on his shoulder that only got worse after 14 teams passed on him because of his "T-Rex" arms. The Buccaneers linebacker has clapped back at those who viewed his measurements as the problem.
Gerald McCoy is one of the Buccaneers' best players in history, and needless to say, he is thrilled with those 14 teams for passing on a player who is already turning heads in training camp.
Horrible!! This kid will never make it in the NFL…… BECAUSE HIS ARMS ARE TOO SHORT………. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 THANK YOU whoever picked in the 1st 14 picks. HE IS OURS NOW!! https://t.co/pXFPuWJQ8x pic.twitter.com/JvnabQzezm
— Gerald McCoy (@Geraldini93) August 13, 2026
Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans may not get a look at Rueben Bain on Friday night
It’s safe to say Todd Bowles has already seen enough from rookie Rueben Bain Jr.
— The Pewter Plank (@ThePewterPlank) August 12, 2026
Bain won’t play much, if at all, during the Bucs’ preseason opener Friday night against the Jets.
This comes after Bain was listed as the starting OLB on the team’s first unofficial depth chart. pic.twitter.com/Wt2bZCMq0E
Todd Bowles recently said that Bain "Will not play much, if at all," on Friday night. That won't make McCoy happy; it won't make Bucs fans happy either. Fans need to feast!
Bain has been everything the Bucs have hoped for so far, and he is only going to get better. The rookie pas rusher loves football and plays at an upper level of physicality. There are serious vibes about his potential in the NFL.
If we are lucky, we will get to see him for at least a series against the Jets. He dominated the joint practice this week. Wreaking havoc off the edge, Bain was credited with three would-be sacks during team drills.
The Bucs are loving the pre-draft comments made about Bain. Several media members believed that Bain being selected in the top-10 should be a cause for immediate firing. In Miami, it was a foregone conclusion that if Bain was on the board when they picked at 12, he would be the guy. The Dolphins passed on him, too.
In a small ironic twist, the Buccaneers were supposed to face off against the player they many expected them to draft. Top tight end prospect Kenyon Sadiq was drafted by the Jets after the Bucs took Bain.
During joint practices, Bain was dominating the Jets while Sadiq continued to watch from the sidelines. The TE has not taken a practice snap for the Jets due to a core muscle surgery. The Bucs dodged a bit of a bullet and were rewarded with a player that some are already saying has future Hall of Fame potential.
For fans wondering if Bain is the real deal, we don't have to look further than McCoy's comments and reactions. McCoy knows football, and he knows toughness when he sees it. The Bucs defense is in a good place thanks to 14 NFL teams that thought his arms were too short. Their loss.
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