The Buccaneers Were Surprised They Were Able to Land Rueben Bain Jr.

Many out there still can't believe that Rueben Bain Jr. fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at pick 15 in the 2026 NFL draft.

There were plenty of analysts and draft experts out there who thought that Bain was one of, if not the, top edge rusher in the 2026 NFL Draft, and many speculated if he could even be selected as high as the second overall pick to the New York Jets.

Apr 23, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; 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. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Count the Buccaneers front office and coaching staff as more people who couldn't believe that Bain Jr. fell into their laps, based on this quote from head coach Todd Bowles.

"It's like Jason said, we pick out a few guys that we don't think are going to make it to 15, and there were about eight or nine of them that, regardless of position, we said, 'If these guys end up falling, we're taking them without a doubt,'" Bowles said in Bain's introductory press conference. "We had our minds made up on another player just because we figured the top eight or nine guys would be gone and we knew Rueben [Bain] was a top ten pick.

"He started falling a little bit, and he got to 15, and we knew it wasn't going any further. We couldn't be happier because of the mindset we're trying to change this year with the type of players we signed in free agency and the type of play that he does and the attitude he plays with and the force he plays with… It was really a no-brainer, and he fit everything we're trying to do and get back to from a mental physicality standpoint. His play shows that, and it was an easy decision."

This quote speaks volumes to where the Buccaneers were in terms of their overall process and how unlikely they thought it would be that Bain would be on the board when they made their selection.

Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor (3) against the Indiana Hoosiers during the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The fact that Tampa Bay had an entirely different player already selected in their minds tells you that they thought there would be no chance that Bain would be available to them. Who could that other player have been? We'll never know, but most speculate that it could have been fellow Miami pass rusher Akheem Mesidor, who would have been the pick for Tampa if Bain hadn't been there.

The Bucs had a big need at the position, and many thought that Mesidor would've been a great piece that could have started right away for Tampa if he had been the selection.

It's ironic as well, because Mesidor had a fantastic season for Miami in 2025, in part because his running mate was Bain, who was creating a great amount of opportunities for Mesidor. While Mesidor would go seven picks later to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Buccaneers got the younger and better version of Mesidor in Bain.

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