Rueben Bain Jr. and David Walker stood out on the Bucs' defensive line in Friday's 16-15 victory. Both players displayed the ability to get off the line quickly and pressure Kansas City's quarterbacks.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gotten off to a hot start in the NFL Preseason, picking up a second victory on Saturday.
After trailing for most of the game, the Bucs stormed back for a 16-15 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels scored the go-ahead touchdown, threading a tight window ball to tight end/fullback Ko Kieft.
But, there were multiple players on the defensive end who shined, especially on the D-line.
No. 15 overall draft pick Rueben Bain Jr. made his highly anticipated preseason debut, and looked the part as a potential gamewrecker off the edge.
Bain had multiple pressures, getting off the edge quickly and using his hands to create advantages.
Following the win, Pro Football Focus gave Bain an 88.8 grade for his performance, putting him atop the list of graded rookies.
This strong debut comes one week after Bain went viral for staying on the field following a grueling practice in the Florida summer heat.
Bain was seen getting in additional work by himself, setting up individual drills and going full speed for about an hour after practice ended.
On Friday, Bain talked to ESPN's Jenna Laine about why he is putting in extra reps.
"I feel like in college most of my plays were made in the fourth quarter..." Bain said. "I know when I'm tired, the O-linemen are a little more tired than me."
Laine noted that ten of Bain's 20.5 sacks during his three seasons at Miami came in the fourth quarter, which stands along in that span.
Second-year rusher David Walker also had a strong showing, getting off the edge for multiple pressures and three quarterback hits.
Two seasons ago, the Bucs selected Walker in the fourth round, making him one of 12 players to ever be drafted out of Central Arkansas.
Roundtable's Joe Smeltzer highlighted his dominance at Central Arkansas, writing "For any FCS player to impress an NFL team, they must put up killer numbers, and that's what Walker did. He was a three-time All-American, ending his college career with a school-record 39 sacks (in just three seasons) and 82.5 tackles for loss."
Walker also added 244 tackles, six forced fumbles and eight passes defensed in his career, while being named defensive player of the year in his respective conference three seasons in a row.
But, he was sidelined all of his rookie year with a torn ACL, delaying his professional debut until this upcoming year.
Throughout training camp, Walker has looked like he has made a full recovery, terrorizing the Bucs' offensive line in practice.
Following another standout practice in early-August, veteran defensive tackle Rakeem Nuñez-Roches talked about what he's seen from Walker.
"D-Walker is somethin' serious," Nuñez-Roches said. "I feel like he has a 95 win percentage ratio. … He’s definitely vicious."
With these two players lining up next to Al-Quadin Muhammad and Yaya Diaby, the Bucs' pass rushing attack should be much improved.
