The Buccaneers land an elite edge rusher, Rueben Bain Jr., with their No. 15 pick on opening night of the NFL draft. His powerful game promises immediate impact.
Various mocks predicted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would stand pat or trade down in the first round. They kept the 15th pick and selected edge Rueben Bain Jr. out of Miami.
Initially, his Hurricanes teammate, Akheem Mesidor, was the most widely projected first-round pick for the Buccaneers. Bain was expected to be off the board before the 15th pick.
Tampa Bay addressed one of its three biggest needs in the draft, an edge rusher, and it was a huge selection.
Grade: A
Regarded as an elite talent, Bain falling into Tampa Bay's hands boosts the team's pass-rushing attack.
The Buccaneers struggled to sack opposing quarterbacks last season, and with Bain added to the pass-rushing ranks, that aspect of the defense should improve.
Bain had 9.5 sacks last season, including two during the Hurricanes' College Football Playoff run, and led the FBS in pressures with 83.
The 21-year-old Miami native will play alongside Calijah Kancey and Vita Vea on the defensive line, and Yaya Diaby and Al-Quadin Muhammad behind him as additional linebacker support.
Those group of players have shown the ability to shed blocks and pressure the quarterback. Combining Bain Jr.'s pass-rushing talent with those players could make it difficult for opposing teams to block every pass rusher successfully.
Considering how Tampa Bay signed multiple defensive players to bolster its depth in the offseason, Bain Jr. is added to that group as a potential immediate contributor.
Coach Todd Bowles runs a 3-4 base defense and plays aggressively with blitz-heavy play-calling. Bain attacks opposing offensive linemen with speed and power, overwhelming them.
His aggressive pass-rushing aligns with Bowles' aggressive defensive style.
Bain could slide in as a weakside linebacker in Bowles' scheme, providing some versatility for Tampa Bay. However, his calling card is rushing the quarterback, which would likely place him on either edge opposite of Kancey or A'Shawn Robinson.
Considering the Buccaneers' need for an edge rusher, selecting Bain with the 15th pick not only addressed the position but also drafted the best player available.
General manager Jason Licht admitted Tampa Bay was better at signing or trading for edge rushers than drafting them. He flipped the script on Thursday.
Bain has explosive potential to become an immediate contributor, something Bowles and Licht were targeting with their 15th pick.
Various mocks had Tampa Bay selecting Mesidor, who is 25 years old, but the organization opted for his younger teammate.
The Buccaneers exited Day 1 with an unexpected best-case scenario with a premier edge rusher in Bain Jr.
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