Buccaneers Set to Get First Real Glimpse of Rueben Bain Jr. in Training Camp

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will get their first real look at their first round pick once the pads come on.

Buccaneers edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. | River Wells/BucsGameday

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were elated to pick Rueben Bain Jr. after he fell all the way to the No. 15 pick in the NFL Draft this year, and for good reason.

Bain was a star at Miami, netting 9.5 sacks and an impressive 15.5 TFL last year. Explosive, disciplined and unrelenting, the Buccaneers hope that Bain is the missing piece for an edge rushing unit that has massively struggled over the last few seasons.

Early reviews on Bain have been good, with head coach Todd Bowles praising his intelligence and many noting his get-off and discipline during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. But Bain, like most linemen this time of year, hasn't been fully tested yet — and the time for that to happen is coming very soon.

Bain, Buccaneers Front Seven Will Truly Be Tested With Pads On

Miami Hurricanes defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. is selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the number 15 pick | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Buccaneers begin training camp on July 28. They'll have a few days of training camp without pads on, but the date to watch is August 3 — that's when pads will come on for the first time.

There will be a sense of what Bain and Tampa Bay's newly revamped pass rush can do when the team wears shells, which are just pads on the upper body. But come August 3 when the pads come on fully, players like Bain will be put to the real test before the season begins.

Tampa Bay's tackle duo of Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke have faced Bain in minicamp, but neither side has been able to go all-out without pads on. Once the pads come on, Bain will get to show off the physicality he was known for at Miami, and Wirfs and Goedeke will get to use the full extent of their power to try to stop him.

That competition could sharpen both parties, and it would give Bain a good base before he goes into preseason and gets his first reps in a live game setting. Bain has been criticized by some for his short arms, and a statistical outlier like that could be a big knock in the NFL. We'll get the first real sense of how that will affect Bain once he can actually go at 100% to try and rush the passer.

Training camp will start on July 28 for Tampa Bay and will remain public until August 9, the last day for fans to watch training camp at One Buc Place.

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