They say iron sharpens iron, and that's especially true for Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie outside linebacker Rueben Bain Jr.
Bain won’t have to wait until the regular season to face elite competition. He’ll spend his rookie offseason going against arguably the NFL’s best offensive tackle duo in Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke every day at practice.
By the time the regular season arrives, Bain will already be battle-tested and know what it takes to compete against elite offensive tackles. That trial by fire will have the rookie prepared for anything opponents might throw his way.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' elite offensive tackle duo will prepare Rueben Bain Jr. for his rookie season
While Wirfs continues to recover from a tweaked hamstring, Bain has primarily been lining up against Goedeke during training camp. The rookie understands the opportunity in front of him and is using every rep as a chance to elevate his game.
"I go against Luke Goedeke] every day. I feel like we battle each and every day. He gets the best of me, and I get to grow from that. I get to learn and experience from one of the best in the game right now and I don't take that for granted at all. I'm coming in each day trying to get better any time I can. I ask him for pointers… As soon as I get off the field, I'm grabbing the iPad, run over to him, see what he sees,” Bain said.
Bain’s desire to learn and improve is what will separate him from his peers and make him great.
Head coach Todd Bowles appeared on NFL Network and had high praise for his rookie first-round draft choice.
“He is an outstanding football player. You get to see that right there on the tape. What you don’t see is the intelligence and how he prepares like a pro. That’s what makes you have the ability to be a great football player… He knows one speed and that’s full speed,” Bowles said.
Bain already has all of the physical tools to make an immediate impact. He’s coming off a season where he recorded 83 QB pressures — tied for the most in the PFF College era dating back to 2011.
He recorded 20.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss during his Miami career, establishing himself as one of college football’s most disruptive pass rushers.
Tampa Bay drafted him in hopes that production would translate to the NFL and help transform the Buccaneers defense. So far, the rookie is doing everything he can to succeed.
Bain is doing all the right things both on and off the field. His rookie offseason feels eerily similar to Emeka Egbuka's, where there was an unshakable feeling that the Bucs landed a special player that will become a cornerstone for the franchise for years to come.
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