Rueben Bain Jr. fell to the 15th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft due to arm length concerns, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pounced on the opportunity. With David Bailey being the second overall pick and Arvell Reese taken with the fifth pick, Bain lasted until the middle of the first night. It felt like a steal, and his first snaps have been productive.
NFL World Reacts to Rueben Bain’s Special Debut vs. Chiefs
Bain had a great preseason debut against the Kansas City Chiefs. Even if it was only his first action against NFL competition, he was impressive and caught the eyes of those who wanted to see him. It only builds the excitement to see him in a real game.
Billy Marshall, who made a name for himself analyzing prospects and game film on Twitter, was impressed with one of the reps made by the rookie.
“Bain with a sick hump move. Sheesh!” he said.
Bain with a sick hump move. Sheesh! pic.twitter.com/err5hv3PH2
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) August 22, 2026
Kev Mahserejian, who works for Fox Sports, took the opportunity to criticize one of the picks made before Bain was taken by the Buccaneers. “Really glad the Rams took a backup QB instead of the guy who brought Miami back to their first Natty in 2 decades,” he said.
The comparison makes sense because the Rams are already Super Bowl favorites, and if they had Bain to join Myles Garrett and potentially Aaron Donald, their outlook would be much better. However, the team drafted Simpson for the future, and so far, he has impressed in the preseason as well.
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NFL analyst Warren Sharp, known for his use of analytics, praised Bain’s rep. “oh look Rueben Bain Jr. casually moving a 325 pound man against his will,” he wrote.
oh look Rueben Bain Jr. casually moving a 325 pound man against his will pic.twitter.com/ux6TcRoEer
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) August 23, 2026
Ted Nguyen, a film analyst for “The Athletic”, also implied that the teams made a mistake in letting Bain fall until the 15th pick. On his X account, Nguyen said, “The NFL may have overthunk Bain.”
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The “Lucky Football” account also questioned the draft day slide and wrote, “How did the NFL let Rueben Bain fall to #15?”
And another media outlet said this could turn into a historic pick by the Buccaneers, adding, “Rueben Bain Jr. falling to #15 is going to be one of the biggest steals of all time.”
Reuben Bain Jr. falling to #15 is going to be one of the biggest steals of all time. pic.twitter.com/IOu1S6m4MJ
— Polymarket Football (@PolymarketBlitz) August 23, 2026
Bain will continue to develop, but the Buccaneers need him to become a key contributor. He finished his final season at Miami with 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. According to PFN’s CFB EDGE Impact Metric, he posted an impact score of 82.7 last year, ranking 15th in the nation at his position.
For Tampa Bay, having a pass rusher like Bain, who can be a difference-maker in his first season, will help them get the NFC South crown back.
