Rueben Bain Jr. shows the NFL made a mistake letting him fall to the Buccaneers in his first practice
The Bucs rookie already drew some praise from his head coach on his first day, and he looked every bit deserving of it.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers picked up one of the most heralded and accomplished pass rushers in the country last season in Miami Hurricanes EDGE Rueben Bain, Jr. The talented defender fell into the Bucs’ laps at No. 15 overall, and Jason Licht gratefully snatched him up.
Bain’s fall was linked to a concern by some teams that his arm length was an issue. With 30 7/8-inch arms, he has substantially shorter ones than most successful pass rushers in recent history.
That being said, Bain used those arms to do exceptional things last year, generating 83 pressures, 9.5 sacks, and 17.5 tackles for loss for the Hurricanes. And the Bucs are getting an angry and motivated player, as evidenced by his quick and angry hat grab on draft night while heading from the green room towards the stage to meet commissioner Roger Goodell.
Bain, who signed his rookie contract earlier in the week, and the rest of the Bucs rookies got their first looks as Bucs on Friday afternoon, as rookie minicamp got underway. And Bain quickly showed his unique combination of power, bend, and explosiveness during drills.
And his head coach had some strong praise for the rookie.
Todd Bowles says Bain looked like he was in ‘midseason form’ on Friday at Bucs rookie minicamp
“He looked like he was in midseason form,” Bowles said. “Obviously, he’s from Miami, so he’s going to be practicing in the heat, where a lot of the other guys are going to struggle to adjust to this weather, so it didn’t both him at all. He came in in great shape, and he ran around well, and he kind of picked up some things very well.”
Of course, it’s rookie minicamp and excitement and over-analysis are going to be high at this point. But Bain played the game at a fast and violent level, and he certainly looked that on the field, and even enough to elicit a compliment from his head coach.
The Bucs appear to be getting a Rueben Bain, Jr. that feels disrespected, and his power and speed were on display quickly at One Buc Place. And if those abilities translate on the field and under the lights, the Bucs could end up making out like bandits once the 2026 season has run its course.