Bucs rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. is busy impressing coaches at minicamp. He received high praise from head coach Todd Bowles, who also serves as defensive coordinator.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted standout edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. out of the University of Miami with the 15th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Many believed Bain would have gone in the top-10 or even the top five, because as a prospect, he's shown his ability to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.
But his measurables and the "short arms" tag may have deterred teams from taking him earlier.
In his college football career at Miami, Bain amassed 121 total tackles with 33.5 being for loss. He had 20.5 sacks, one interception, two passed defended and four forced fumbles. His senior season was statistically Bain's best season, really shining, accumulating 54 total tackles, 15.5 of which for loss, nine and a half for loss, one interception, one pass defended and a forced fumble.
He was named ACC Defensive Player of The Year, won the Ted Hendricks Award for nation's best linebacker, along with being named a consensus All-American. Bain helped lead Miami to the College Football Playoff National Championship where they were defeated by the Indiana Hoosiers.
Nonetheless, it was a great senior campaign. Bain is now beginning his journey as a rookie in the NFL.
The Buccaneers rookie minicamp ran from Friday, May 8th and it concludes on Sunday, May 10th.
Bain has impressed coaches thus far in minicamp, with Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles heaping praise on the rookie.
"He looked like he was in midseason form. 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 adjusting to this weather. It didn't bother him at all. He came in in great shape, and he ran around well and kind of picked up some things very well," Bowles said. "He's got an old soul, so to speak. He understands his lineage, he understands the guys that came before him – they've got a lot of great players down there at the University of Miami as well as the high schools down there as well. He grew up around all of those guys, grew up around [Teddy] Bridgewater, Lavonte [David], [Calijah] Kancey and all of those guys himself.
"He understands tempo, he understands pace, he understands how to play hard, he understands to pay homage to the guys that come before him that were down there and he tries to pattern his game like that," Bowles said. "He's a very smart player, not just a tough player, he understands what he's walking into and what he wants to be."