Buccaneers First-Round Pick Rueben Bain Jr. Is Living Up To The Hype

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers thought they hit big when they drafted Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. with the 15th-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Many teams passed up on him due to his small arm length, but the Bucs weren't worried about it and thought they got a steal with Bain.

It's the preseason, and Bain has only played a few snaps so far, but early returns are looking quite promising.

Bain has looked very strong so far in training camp against his own offense and in joint practices against the New York Jets. He hadn't gotten any preseason action in that Jets game, but he did get a little against the Kansas City Chiefs last Saturday, and boy, did he make the most of those snaps.

Rueben Bain PFF's Highest-Graded Defensive Rookie

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Rueben Bain Jr. (3) during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pro Football Focus has graded every player's preseason so far, and Bain notably comes out on top among all rookies. He boasted an 88.8 overall grade, which is the highest for a defensive rookie and places him right above Giants linebacker Arvell Reese (88.2) and Bain's former Miami teammate and current Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Akheem Mesidor (81.6)

Top graded defensive rookies this preseason, among first round picks

Rueben Bain Jr 88.8
Arvell Reese 88.2
Akheem Mesidor 81.6 pic.twitter.com/5uB8UA4StN
— PFF (@PFF) August 24, 2026

It's important to contextualize this, though. Bain has played just one game so far in the preseason, and he only played six snaps for the two three-and-outs the starting defense forced. The sample size is small, which could put him over his peers.

That being said, he was still impressive. His hump move on Kansas City's left tackle has gone somewhat viral on social media, and he also stuck to his man in coverage when he was asked to during his short stint in the game as well.

oh look Rueben Bain Jr. casually moving a 325 pound man against his will pic.twitter.com/ux6TcRoEer
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 23, 2026

Bain will get some more chances to show off his prowess this week when the Bucs head to Jacksonville to hold joint practice with the Jaguars. The Bucs and Jaguars will hold two joint practices before they play each other in what will be each team's final preseason game on Friday night.

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