There's still no real explanation for why Rueben Bain Jr. fell to No. 15 in last month's NFL Draft, but I have a feeling that many of the 14 teams ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will slap themselves in the head for letting it happen.
This week, the organized team activities (a.k.a. OTAs) portion of the NFL offseason started and Bain has been the talk of the early sessions in Tampa.
Bucs rookie first round pick Rueben Bain Jr. He’s very powerful, he’s got the bend, violent hands and he’s got great leverage. You can see that when he goes through drills. He was a real tone setter in rookie camp and he’s now garnering respect from the veterans. pic.twitter.com/OD7V9WSclY
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) May 26, 2026
Even though this stuff is in shorts, the clips speak for themselves. Look at the explosion, the hands and the general bad intentions that Bain is showing in these early drills. It's reminiscent of what he did this past season and why the issues about his short arms should have been discounted.
The Bucs are placing high expectations on Rueben Bain Jr
Larry Foote is someone who has spent several years in the league and can recognize potential greatness. The Bucs outside linebackers coach compared Bain to James Harrison, one of his former teammates with the Pittsburgh Steelers,
Larry Foote on Rueben Bain Jr: “Back in my Pittsburgh days, I played with a guy named James Harrison like that. It was just, you couldn’t block him. He has that trait, he has that ability.”
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) May 20, 2026
He added that they all stood up after Bain’s combine interview and nodded their heads. pic.twitter.com/H369d3VYIk
"Off the film, if you had to bet, he's going to be a star. The way he plays the game. He's explosive, and he plays with great leverage, and it's hard to block those guys. Back in my Pittsburgh days, I played with a guy like that, James Harrison, and you couldn't block him. He has that trait, he has that ability," Foote said.
The coach went even further to talk about Bain's commitment to his craft and that he has come into the league prepared for the workload that's required.
"I'm more impressed with his mindset and I kind of got a little feel for that when we interviewed him at the combine, but these last few weeks he has that Lavonte David focus, and he's all about ball. So, I'm excited to have him," Foote added.
Harrison, one of the most ferocious linebackers during his time, and David, a product of the Miami high school football factory that has a very good chance of getting in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That's nice company to be in.
Bain's early accolades speak highly of the Miami Hurricanes culture
Mario Cristobal demands a lot out of his players. He is a former Hurricane, so the job and the program mean everything to him. He was part of two championship teams at Miami. But even more importantly, he is a disciple of Nick Saban, so he's gotten a chance to see what those championship cultures are like as a player and as a coach.
By dropping to No. 15, it's very likely that Bain already has a big chip on his shoulder, but the time that he spent at Miami under Cristobal is something that's so valuable at the next level. He knows how to work. The Hurricanes don't take days off. They don't have light practices. It's a culture built around accountability and competition. Bain knows that being a first-round pick doesn't guarantee anything and that's the mindset that Foote appreciates.
The words spoken about Bain shouldn't be a surprise to any Hurricanes fan. They watch games. They saw how Ohio State had no one on its $50 million dollar roster that could block him. They're just wondering why all these ultra-smart NFL team front office decision makers couldn't see it.
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