Buccaneers' Rueben Bain Jr. Praised for This One Key Trait

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were ecstatic to land edge rusher Rueben Bain with the No. 15 pick of the 2026 Draft this year, and so far, he's only increased the hype surrounding his selection.

Bain's burst, athleticism and motor have all been praised by his teammates and coaches across mandatory minicamp and OTAs. Those types of traits are what got him to 20.5 sacks over the course of his college career in Miami, and the Bucs are hoping to see those traits translate to similar production in the NFL.

He's playing in a Todd Bowles defense now, though, and that takes more than just physical traits. One quote from Bowles this offseason, however, seems to indicate that he has exactly the mental trait he needs to thrive in Tampa Bay.

Rueben Bain Already Displaying Intelligence in Tampa Bay

Miami Hurricanes defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. is selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the number 15 pick during the 2026 NFL Draft at Acrisure Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bowles has spoken at length about the player Bain is from a physical standpoint, but he particularly honed in on how smart he has been on and off the football field so far this offseason.

For me, it is his intelligence, his understanding of the game," coach Todd Bowles said, per ESPN's Jenna Laine. "There are some things that you cannot teach, and he does not learn like a normal rookie, and he does some things that a three-or four-year guy can do."

Bowles is known for running complex schemes in the NFL, and he'll continue to do so in his seventh season as Tampa Bay's defensive playcaller. If Bain wants to get all the nuances down. he'll have to be smart, and it certainly seems like he's up to the task if Bowles is to be believed.

As Bowles mentioned, though, intelligence is also important when it comes to pass rushing moves, play recognition and keeping up with game speed. If Bain can get all of those down in his first year with the Bucs, Tampa Bay will have hit a home run at pick No. 15.

Bain has drawn some excitement in Tampa Bay due to the Bucs' considerable lack of pass rush over recent seasons. Tampa Bay will put pads on in training camp in August, and that will be the first big test to see if Bain can handle the physicality of the NFL.

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