The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Miami Hurricanes star Rueben Bain with the No. 15 pick in NFL Draft
There were concerns in the outside world about drafting former Miami Hurricanes defensive end Rueben Bain high in the first round of the NFL Draft.
But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers never had any questions about Bain's physical attributes. They pegged him as their guy all along, which is why they drafted him at No. 15.
The Bucs feel they got him with the steal of the first day.
"Every year, I think we all seem to invent new ways to overthink things," Bucs general manager Jason Licht said. "The arm length, all the different measurements, they come into play in all of our meetings, a thousand hours of meetings that we've logged. If you stare at the tape long enough, I've learned the tape usually wins the argument. That's the conclusion that we came to. We never thought it was a hindrance in his play."
There were plenty of questions about Bain's arm length entering the draft. He was originally projected as a top 10 pick before the concerns were raised. Bain was the ACC Player of the Year and earned first-team All-American honors. He was a big reason why the Hurricanes returned to national prominence. He helped them make the College Football Playoff championship game, where they lost to the Indiana Hoosiers.
And the Bucs are perfectly happy with their pick even though some other teams passed on drafting him.
"You can probably ask all of the tackles in the SEC, Big Ten and ACC if shorts arms are a hindrance to his play," Licht said. "They'd probably all agree that it doesn't."
`CANES ADD ANOTHER TOP PROSPECT
The Miami Hurricanes' 2027 recruiting class continues to be a work in progress, especially with the uncertainty surrounding five-star offensive tackle Mark Matthews. Regardless, other prospects were looking to join the group, including four-star defensive lineman Ezekiel Ayangbile. He currently attends Langham Creek High School, a public institution located in Houston, Texas.
Ayangbile was drawn to three programs ahead of Friday’s commitment announcement: LSU Tigers, Virginia Tech Hokies, and Hurricanes. After careful consideration, he decided to start playing collegiate football in Coral Gables, Florida. The four-star prospect played a video recording of coach Mario Cristobal sharing a welcoming message.
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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of MiamiRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com