BREAKING: Buccaneers Select Miami's Rueben Bain in First Round of 2026 NFL Draft

Edge rusher was widely considered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ biggest need in 2026, and the Bucs and Jason Licht made sure to address it right away with their first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Miami Hurricanes edge rusher Rueben Bain with the No. 15 pick, adding another edge rusher alongside Yaya Diaby and new free agency pickup Al-Quadin Muhammad. The pick marks the first time the Bucs have drafted an edge rusher in the first round since 2021, when they selected Joe-Tryon Shoyinka.

Bain was not expected to fall as far as he did. He had an excellent season at Miami, where he had 9.5 sacks, 15.5 TFLs, an interception and a forced fumble. He has excellent power and great finesse, and his violent hands made him one of the best edge rushers in the class. He handled frequent double teams and chips very well at Miami, which could help him at the pro level.

That being said, Bain’s extremely short arms have been a point of contention during the draft process. His motor when the ball isn’t coming his way is questionable, and he may have fallen in the draft due to a recently-unearthed careless driving charge that resulted in the death of a victim involved. Numerous general managers who were asked about the incident said this offseason that they were satisfied with Bain's explanation of the events.

It was rumored that the Buccaneers wanted to move out of the pick this year and trade down, but Bain was not expected to be there by pick No. 15. He fell on draft night, partially due to unexpected picks and trade ups early and perhaps due to other issues, and the Bucs were ready to take him when he fell to them.

Bain will join Diaby, Muhammad, Anthony Nelson, Chris Braswell and last year’s fifth-round pick, David Walker, in the edge rushing room. The Bucs haven’t been able to get to the quarterback in recent years, but all that could change with a disruptive player like Bain in the room.

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