The Tampa Bay Buccaneers landed Rueben Bain Jr. with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
He was considered a lock to be drafted in the top-ten throughout the entire pre-draft process, so landing him was a pleasant surprise for Tampa Bay.
Jason Licht already got Bucs fans riled up with how excited he was over the pick, and when Bain stepped to the podium, he made himself an immediate fan favorite.
Rueben Bain Jr. is the perfect fit for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucs’ brass has been consistent all offseason in their desire to bring a more nasty demeanor to the defense.
It’s safe to say, Bain will help provide the edge they’ve been looking for.
Bringing the edge to Tampa Bay 🤬 pic.twitter.com/8i3n1nQAHn
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 24, 2026
“I love football, I love my teammates. If they’re not my teammates, I hate ‘em. This is what I love to do, and I’m a Buc,” said Bain.
That statement is sure to get Bucs fans excited, as the team has had their best defensive units in team history when they had guys that played with a mean streak. The 2002 Super Bowl team had Warren Sapp, and the 2020 Super Bowl team had Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul.
Bain fits the mold that the Bucs have had success with in their defensive leaders.
He doubled down on that mentality when asked to identify his best trait.
“My motor. I feel like my motor and my mindset is contagious because when people see me, how I play and how I care about the game of football, it kind of spreads off on other people.”
Bain’s press conference was full of him telling Buccaneers fans exactly what they needed to hear from the newest member of the team.
He’s excited to play for Todd Bowles and feels he’s a natural fit for his defensive scheme, and ready to make an immediate impact.
“Bowles is an aggressive defensive like-minded coach, and I’m an aggressive defensive like-minded player,” said Bain. “It’s going to be real simple, real smooth.”
It feels like the Buccaneers hit an absolute home run, and landed the steal of the draft securing a top talent at No. 15 overall. Time will tell, but Bain feels poised for a special career in Tampa Bay.
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