Grading Buccaneers' First Round Pick of Rueben Bain Jr.

From the moment the 2025 NFL regular season came to a close right up until the start of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' biggest positional needs were obvious.

The reality for the Buccaneers, even after losing franchise icon Mike Evans in free agency, was that the team desperately needed to improve on the defensive side of the ball. Among the positions that needed to be addressed, edge rusher and inside linebacker stood out the most.

When it finally came time for Jason Licht and his staff to make their first selection of the draft, they made sure to address one of those positions.

Bucs select Rueben Bain Jr. 15th Overall

With the 15th pick in the draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected edge rusher, Rueben Bain Jr., from the University of Miami.

Based on how the board was projected to fall, there was plenty of speculation leading up to Thursday night that the Bucs would be actively looking to move back in order to add more draft capital to work with throughout the draft. However, when the moment of truth came to pass, Jason Licht chose to stick and pick.

And considering the fact that almost no one expected the 2025 Ted Hendricks Award winner (given to the nation's top DE) to be available at 15, it's no surprise he did.

As is the case for all 257 selections that are made over the course of the draft each year, it's impossible to determine which will blossom into stars until the prospects actually take the field as NFL players — which will be labelled as busts, and which will be categorized somewhere in between.

For now, though, we can project the fit that exists between the team and the player they chose based purely on what we know about them, respectively.

Bucs selection of Rueben Bain Jr. earns an A+

It's not hyperbolic to suggest that the Buccaneers' selection of Bain at 15th overall is a match made in heaven. The selection deserves an A+.

The Bucs' need for an impact edge rusher has been well documented. Not only that, but Licht, Todd Bowles and plenty of others within the organization have spoken openly about their desire to get nastier on the defensive side of the football.

The selection of Rueben Bain Jr. emphatically satisfies both of those requirements.

The 6-2, 263-pound junior was one of the best players in the country in 2025, leading his team all the way to the National Championship. Not only was Bain the 2025 ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a 2nd-Team AP All-American last year, but his 83 pressures led all of FBS. He dominated from start to finish for the Hurricanes and recorded 54 tackles, 9.5 sacks and 15.5 TFL.

Most impressive of all, though, is how Bain performed when the lights shone the brightest. Bain tallied five sacks in four games played during the College Football Playoffs, and his relentless style of play was crucial to the Hurricanes' success.

The one knock on Bain heading into the draft was his arm length. Still, almost every expert mock draft projected Bain to be selected within the first 10 picks. The fact that he slid all the way to the Buccaneers at 15, who matched their greatest positional need with the best player on the board in selecting Bain, is deserving of an A+.

The selection of Bain is a leadoff home run for Licht, providing an exceptional start to the 2026 NFL Draft for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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