Nick Saban squashes red flag surrounding new Bucs EDGE Rueben Bain, Jr. with an obvious but powerful comment
The legendary coach made an apt observation about a supposed shortcoming regarding the Bucs’ new prized defender.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did the smart thing by doing the easiest thing on the first night of the 2026 NFL Draft: taking the gift that fell right into their laps.
The Bucs ended the slide of Miami Hurricanes star edge rusher Rueben Bain, Jr., taking him with the No. 15 overall pick.
Bain was one of the best players in college football last season regardless of position. He and teammate Akheem Mesidor — who was selected No. 22 overall by the Los Angeles Chargers — were easily the nation’s best pass-rushing duo and fueled the Hurricanes’ run all the way to the national championship game.
However, concerns rose about Bain’s arm length after he measured with 30 7/8-inch arms at the NFL Combine two months ago. That apparently was a significant cause in his drop outside of the top 10, where many experts had projected him to be selected.
While some teams might have had their reservations about Bain’s arm length, legendary coach Nick Saban thinks they’re way overblown.
Nick Saban points out that nobody has had long enough arms yet to block Rueben Bain, Jr.
“This guy has elite strength and power for his size,” Saban said. “And I know everybody talks about his short arms, but I have yet to see anybody that has a long enough arm to keep him from butting them in the throat.”
Bain put up an absurd 83 QB pressures last year per Pro Football Focus — more than any other first round player — to go with 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. In the College Football Playoff against the highest level of competition, his play remained steady and disruptive. He had 16 pressures and four sacks in two games against Texas A&M and Ohio State.
Experts have said that Bain will have to prove he’s an outlier with his arm length. Well, so far, the best that college football has to offer couldn’t slow him down. We’ll find out next year if that’s a problem for him at the NFL level.
But with his elite abilities, raw power, and long memory for slights, don’t bet on it.