After months of speculation about what the Bucs would do with the No. 15 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the answer came Thursday night as they selected Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., the No. 9 overall player on the consensus big board.

Born and raised in Miami before going on to star for the Miami Hurricanes, Bain is a 6-foot-2, 263-pound menace off the edge. He’s densely built and uses an immense amount of power at the point of attack, and he’s an outstanding run defender to boot. While he has a softer-spoken demeanor off the field, he brings a relentless attitude to the field and put together an impressive three-year collegiate career.

He was a Freshman All-American and the ACC’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 after playing in 13 games (starting 11) and posting 7.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles. He then dipped down to 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss over nine games as a sophomore before becoming a consensus All-American and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year as a junior in 2025. In his third and final year with the Hurricanes, Bain totaled 9.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and an interception.

Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Trevonte Sylvester

Bain was believed to be a top-10 pick for much of the pre-draft process and even into draft day. But once the draft got underway, he began to fall. There were some surprise picks along the way, which was part of the reason why it started to appear possible that he would be available at No. 15 for the Bucs.

The other part of Bain’s fall could come down to two points of contention, with one coming on the field and the other coming off of it. His shorter-than-ideal arms were long believed to be the biggest concern for the young pass rusher, but then came the news two weeks ago that Bain was involved in a car crash back in 2024 that led to the death of a passenger. He was cited for careless driving as part of the incident.

Reports then surfaced that NFL teams, which would obviously include the Bucs, knew about the incident. Tampa Bay will have done its due diligence on Bain and his background, and it’s clear that the team was satisfied with what it learned during the process. Jason Licht briefly answered questions about the matter after making the pick Thursday night, but it’s fair to assume there may be more questions that he and the rest of the Bucs’ brass will have to answer.

With all of that said, the pick was made and ultimately, the Bucs landed a top-10 talent at pick No. 15. It just so happened that said top-10 talent fills one of the team’s biggest needs, too.

Bain, who doesn’t turn 22 years old until just before the 2026 season opener, becomes the 13th draft pick out of the University of Miami in Buccaneer history. He’s the first since running back Mike James in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft and the first Hurricanes defender to be selected by Tampa Bay since linebacker Nate Webster in the third round of the 2000 Draft.

Rueben Bain Jr. Adds Juice To Bucs’ Outside Linebacker Room

With the addition of a first-round pick in Rueben Bain Jr., the Bucs just made a big splash at the outside linebacker position heading into 2026. The former Miami Hurricane joins a room led by a fourth-year pro in Yaya Diaby and veteran newcomer Al-Quadin Muhammad.

Deeper down the depth chart are 2025 fourth-round pick David Walker—who the Bucs are extremely high on—as well as veteran Anthony Nelson and former second-round pick Chris Braswell.

On the surface, it would seem as if that’s the completed room for Tampa Bay. But with Braswell failing to develop much over his first two seasons, his spot is far from guaranteed. And given the depth of this year’s draft class at outside linebacker, there’s no sense in ruling out the possibility of the Bucs adding another pass rusher before the weekend is over.

Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. – Photo by: IMAGN Images –Jerome Miron

After all, the pass rush has been a disappointment for Todd Bowles’ defense in recent years, and it hit a new low in 2025. The team’s 37 total sacks became its lowest mark in the Bowles era, which dates back to 2019. So, heading into the 2026 offseason, the goal was to bolster the pass rush — and specifically the four-man pass rush.

The first addition was Muhammad, who notched a career-high 11 sacks for the Lions last year. And now, with a premium pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Bucs have added another pass rusher with a high ceiling in Rueben Bain Jr., who has double-digit sack potential at the next level with his quick get-off, violent approach and his strong hands. His pass rush arsenal includes club, swim and swat techniques and has a unique blend of power and bend that gives him rare upside that a lot of other edge rushers in this year’s class lacked.

Bain learned under Miami defensive ends coach Jason Taylor, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who totaled 139.5 sacks in his career and made six Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams. That certainly helped the Miami product as he developed over three years into a top-15 pick in the NFL Draft.

Now, Bain will head to Tampa and look to transform the Buccaneer pass rush alongside Yaya Diaby, a fellow ACC product who will certainly be thrilled to have some more help off the edge.