Nothing in the NFL comes easy, especially for a rookie. Even the most highly-touted draft pick needs someone they can look up to. For Tampa Bay Buccaneers top draft pick Rueben Bain Jr., that player is veteran Yaya Diaby.
Diaby is entering his 4th NFL season, all with Tampa Bay. In the last two years, he has started all 17 games, and now he is a mentor, leader, and much-needed counselor for Bain.
Bain was asked specifically about his on-field relationship with Diaby, a relationship that Bain said goes all the way back to their high-school days. "He’s the first guy I’m running to off the field, first guy I’m talking to when we get on the field," Bain said about Diaby, "So we kind of build each and every day, day in and day out."
Rueben Bain Jr. is already making the Tampa Bay Buccaneers look like geniuses
Bain has been disruptive in camp so far. He credits his progress by taking reps against veteran standout Luke Goedeke. "I go against Luke every day – I feel like we battle each and every day." Bain said. "He gets the best of me, and I get to grow from that. I get to learn and experience it from one of the best in the game right now, and I don't take that for granted at all.
Bain has been exemplary so far. Despite the massive chip on his shoulder from being overlooked earlier in the draft, Bain is doing everything right. Aside from the play on the field, Bain said that he is concentrating on being a good teammate and earning the trust of those teammates and coaches.
Tampa needs Bain to pick up the mantle that was left for him by Lavonte David. At one point, David laughed at his retirement, saying the thought of playing with Bain this year had entered his mind, if only fleetingly.
Bain's free-fall in the draft was due to nothing more than his arm-length measurables that had some teams worried about how he would handle bigger offensive linemen. That doesn't seem to be much of a worry.
The only thing better than getting Bain at 20 would have been Miami skipping on LB Jacob Rodriguez. That combination would have made the Buccaneers' defense incredible. Rodriguez is having a stellar camp for the Dolphins.
Diaby and Bain are playing together for the first time. Bain credits God for putting them together. Now, fans just need to see the duo on the field together when it counts, and of course, Jason Licht needs to get Diaby extended as he enters the final year of his contract.
Add us as a preferred source on Google