With Rueben Bain Jr. making noise in Bucs camp, will some teams regret passing on him?
Rueben Bain Jr. was one of the most debated players in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
His substandard arm length was the loudest debate. Then news of a past car crash complicated his evaluation later in the process. He wasn't viewed as a fit in many defenses.
Bain, who was one of the best pass rushers in the country a year ago, leading Miami to the national title game, slipped to the 15th pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs appeared to be thrilled with the development. The teams that passed on him might be second-guessing their pre-draft strategy now.
The early reports on Bain have been exciting. Viral clips of him whipping $90 million OT Luke Goedeke recently have been circulating. Shots of Bain pinning his ears back in pass-rush drills in the rain have fans ready to run through walls in certain parts of the country.
There might be plenty of drama going on with the Buccaneers right now, but Bain has helped anesthetize that somewhat. As praise keeps rolling in, let's take a look at what Bain can do this season and which teams might have wished they'd taken him instead.
Rueben Bain Jr. is making early believers in Tampa
Former Bucs head coach Jon Gruden appears to be a Bain fan. He was in Tampa this week and had a chance to see Bain up close, dismissing the arm-length concerns and lavishing praise on Bain. "If you like James Harrison," Gruden said, "you will like this guy."
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht told WDAE Radio that Bain has surpassed his initial hopes for him, even with lots yet to prove.
"Well, I can't even use the excuse 'we haven't put the pads on yet,' because we have," Licht said. "And he's looked very, very good with the pads on. I can still hide behind 'well, we haven't played a game yet.' But so far, so good. He has exceeded my expectations so far, and I don't think you'd find anyone in the building who would say otherwise.
"On top of the physical talent he's showing, he's just a true professional. I mean, he's staying after practice working on his craft, he's staying after hours in the weight room. Whatever he's doing, he's always doing something to make himself better. And that was the M.O. on him coming out."
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Even veteran Bucs players are watching Bain and seeing what they can pick up from him. Linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad has been in the league for a decade, and he said he's seeing stuff from Bain on tape that makes him sit up and take notice.
"There are some things I see from him that, like, when I'm watching tape, I'm like, 'what was you seeing?'" Muhammad said. "It's not just a younger guy learning from older guys, it's also a veteran continuing to learn too. There are some things I don't necessarily love to do but when you see Bain do it … if it works, I wanna know what you're thinking and why you did that."
The Bucs need more consistent sources of pressure than they had last season and are hopeful the rookie can help supply some of it. They ranked middle of the pack with 37 sacks and were below average in pressure rates. This offseason, the Bucs refreshed their front seven, with Bain a big part of the renovations.
The holdout of Vita Vea weighs over everything defensively. Baker Mayfield's lingering contract situation is another lingering issue, and head coach Todd Bowles could be under fire if things don't go well this season. But Bain might be a real bright spot and a potential steal based on where he was taken.
Which teams that passed on Rueben Bain Jr. could end up regretting it?
Fourteen teams passed on Bain in the draft. Not all of them will regret passing on him, even if he becomes a star.
And some clubs were never really an option for him. The Raiders at No. 1, for instance, were never veering off Fernando Mendoza. Other clubs in that range felt good enough about their pass-rush talent to go elsewhere.
The first obvious team to compare is the Jets, who drafted a different type of edge rusher in Texas Tech's David Bailey. That likely was a scheme preference, with the speedier, slicker Bailey arguably a better system fit. In what could be a fun barometer of where the rookie pass rushers are at, Bain and Bailey will go head to head (sort of) in an Aug. 14 preseason opener — Bucs at Jets.
According to BetMGM, Bain is now the favorite for Defensive Rookie of the Year (+450), ahead of Bailey (+500) and the Giants' Arvell Reese and Cowboys' Caleb Downs (both at +750).
There are other teams that might look back and wonder "what if?"
Chiefs (sixth pick)
The Chiefs traded up three spots to No. 6 to draft CB Mansoor Delane, who was expected to help patch the holes left with the vacancies of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. So far, Delane has had trouble with a shoulder injury. Asked what it would take for Delane to be a Week 1 contributor for the Chiefs considering the time and reps he's lost, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said: "A lot."
The Chiefs took DT Peter Woods later in Round 1 and drafted pass rusher R Mason Thomas in Round 2, both of whom could help. The Chiefs' pass rush was invisible down the stretch last season, and there were a lot of folks pegging Bain to Kansas City as a reasonable fit. Delane might end up being a big contributor in Kansas City, but Bain might impact his team more quickly at the very least.
Saints (eighth pick)
The Saints likely don't regret taking wideout Jordyn Tyson with the eighth pick now. He's come on in recent days and is starting to earn some high praise. The question is whether the Saints needed the pass-rush juice of Bain more than the offensive firepower.
They didn't truly add to the position in the offseason other than castoffs such as Tyree Wilson and Anfernee Jennings, and they may lack that true difference maker if Chase Young doesn't have a big season. Bain was a player many of us thought would make sense in New Orleans.
Dolphins (12th pick)
Bain was a strong local fit after starring for the Hurricanes and could have helped bolster what was viewed as a weaker edge-rush group in Miami. Their pick of Kadyn Proctor looks good so far, and he's expected to anchor the offensive line — another big area of need.
Perhaps they didn't view Bain as a natural fit in their defense, even if they have some other similarly sized rushers on the roster. If Bain starts racking up sacks, and the Dolphins' cast of pass rushers don't, local talk radio won't have to reach too far for a debate topic.
Ravens (14th pick)
Picking one spot ahead of Tampa Bay, the Ravens were paired with Bain later in the process as talk of him slipping to the mid-first round was cresting. They ended up with a player heavily mocked to Baltimore, OG Olaivavega Ioane, who by most accounts has settled in nicely and appears a strong fit.
Again, the question comes down to total value. You can find guards; pass rushers, however, are a different story. They landed Trey Hendrickson as their big fish, but they also attempted to swing a monster deal for Maxx Crosby. GM Eric DeCosta said he was prepared to add both after the Crosby trade fell through. There was a clear edge need, even as the offensive line also very much needed patching.
Ioane looks like a classic Ravens pick, but will Bain be the better player in the long run? Only time will tell.
