Buccaneers shocked by Rueben Bain Jr. falling to them

Rueben Bain garnered top 10 attention ahead of the NFL Draft. Yet there was no thought of Bain landing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So Thursday’s draft night fall to the Bucs even caught Tampa Bay by surprise.

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport revealed the Bucs thought of moving back too from No. 15. But stayed where they were and landed the Miami (FL) football star edge rusher.

“The Bucs, who were open to moving back, stick and pick instead and select Miami edge Rueben Bain Jr. They hoped… but did not believe he’d fall to them,” Rapoport posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter. 

Bain did enter draft weekend with a controversy. He became cited in 2024 for careless driving, which caused fatal injuries to some of his passengers. Destiny Betts got identified as a female passenger who suffered a coma before passing away. However, teams like the Detroit Lions and others knew about Bain’s involvement in the deadly collision.

He even drew criticism over reports of his arm length with 30 7/8-inch arms. That report left some fans wondering if he’ll have trouble shedding blocks.

Bain remained inside the top 15, though. Now he heads to a renown defensive guru in head coach Todd Bowles. The Hurricanes talent brings a huge need for a Buccaneers team that lost their grip on the NFC South.

The Bucs fell to 27th overall against the pass. YaYa Diaby rose as the top sack leader, but managed just seven sacks. No other Buccaneers defender surpassed the 4.5-sack mark.

Bain brings a mean streak and motor on the edge to the Bucs. He rises as the first Hurricane to be drafted in the first round by the Bucs since Warren Sapp in 1995.

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