The Tampa Bay Buccaneers felt amazing after the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, as they landed edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. with the 15th overall pick. The biggest talking point during the pre-draft process was about Bain Jr.'s arm length, but that didn't seem to bother Tampa Bay.
They actually don't seem to care about that at all, and run game coordinator & outside linebackers coach Larry Foote's comments display that. During a presser on Tuesday, Foote spoke about Bain Jr., comparing a trait to former Steelers linebacker James Harrison.
"Back in my Pittsburgh days, I played with a guy named James Harrison like that. It was just, you couldn’t block him. He [Bain] has that trait, he has that ability," Foote said per Jenna Laine of ESPN.
Foote revealed that Bain's mindset has been very impressive, and he's all about football. Foote even added that after their combine interview, everyone in the room stood up and shook their heads in agreement that's he got everything you want, especially mentally.
Larry Foote already gives praise to Bucs rookie Rueben Bain Jr.
Although Bain Jr. hasn't played a down yet, the fact that he's standing out in practice is an encouraging sign. Foote was teammates with Harrison for six seasons with the Steelers (2002-2008), so he saw firsthand how Harrison worked and looked. During his time with the Steelers, Harrison logged 775 total tackles, 142 QB hits, 33 forced fumbles, and 80.5 sacks. Between 2007 and 2011, he made five Pro Bowls, two First-team All Pros, and two Second-team All-Pros.
He was easily one of the best pass rushers in the game at that time, so the fact that Foote sees some of those traits in Bain has to be exciting. During his collegiate career with the Hurricanes, Bain Jr. had 121 total tackles, 33.5 TFLs, 20.5 sacks, and even an interception.
He was an absolute game wrecker for Miami, and the Bucs will need him to bring that juice to Tampa Bay. Last season, the Bucs were tied for 26th in the NFL in team sacks (37). Yaya Diaby led the way with 7.5 sacks, as no one logged double-digit sacks.
Bain Jr. has the runway to quickly emerge as this team's best pass rusher, and if he plays the way his coaches believe he can, the sky is the limit. With no pads on, Bain Jr. is already flashing. Once things go up a notch this summer and the pads come on, he'll get his first chance to back up Foote's claims. But as a fan, there's no way you aren't excited about these comments.
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