Rueben Bain Jr. has not played a regular-season snap for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yet, but the former Miami star is already getting the kind of praise that explains why the franchise used a first-round pick on him.
Buccaneers run game coordinator and outside linebackers coach Larry Foote compared Bain's physical traits to former Pittsburgh Steelers star James Harrison during Tampa Bay's offseason program.
Foote played with Harrison in Pittsburgh. He pointed to Bain's explosiveness, leverage and ability to make life miserable for blockers, saying Bain has the same kind of trait that made Harrison so hard to handle.
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
Larry Foote compares Rueben Bain Jr. to James Harrison
Harrison was a five-time Pro Bowler, the 2008 AP Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time Super Bowl champion with Pittsburgh.
Harrison was not a prototype edge rusher by measurables. He was built on leverage, power and a mean streak. Those are the same areas where Bain made his name at Miami.
Foote also mentioned that Bain separated himself during NFL Scouting Combine interviews with his cerebral approach to the game. Foote said Bain knew the tape, understood responsibilities across the front and remembered plays well enough that the room reacted when he left.
Bain finished his final Miami season with 54 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups.
The Bucs still need Bain to prove it when games begin. But this is the kind of press that has to give Bucs fans hope for next season. Since draft night, Bain has continued to impress the media and fans with his mentality and approach to the game.
He has positioned himself to become a fan favorite with his chip-on-the-shoulder aura that he has cultivated. Now it comes down to producing on the football field.
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