{"id":244185,"date":"2026-04-24T02:48:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T02:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/244185\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T02:48:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T02:48:31","slug":"tampa-bay-bucs-pick-rueben-bain-jr-in-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/244185\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa Bay Bucs Pick Rueben Bain Jr. in 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

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PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – APRIL 23: Rueben Bain Jr. of Miami arrives prior to the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jason Miller\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s official! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> have drafted Rueben Bain Jr. as the 15th pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Tampa Bay made the pick following the 13th pick by the Rams<\/a> and 15th pick by the Baltimore Ravens<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The powerful edge defender is an answer to Tampa Bay\u2019s defensive needs, especially given the dominance Bain has had on the defensive end at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Numerous analysts speculated that Bain wouldn\u2019t be available by the time Tampa Bay reached the 15th pick of the NFL Draft, but the match became one of the surprise stories to come out of this year\u2019s selection.<\/p>\n

To follow every first-round pick, along with trades and all 2026 NFL Draft-related updates in the Heavy NFL Draft Live Blog here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Bucs Select 15th Pick in 2026 NFL Draft\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

GettyJACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA \u2013 AUGUST 17: Helmets of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Jacksonville Jaguars<\/a> during a preseason game at EverBank Field on August 17, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

After a flurry of pre-draft predictions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> have opted to round out their roster with defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. The 21-year-old defensive end out of the University of Miami stands at 6-feet-2-inches and 263 pounds. In his three years with the Miami Hurricanes football program, he garnered an impressive 20.5 sacks.<\/a><\/p>\n

The #Bucs<\/a> will select Miami DE Rueben Bain Jr. with the No. 15 pick.<\/p>\n

The ACC Defensive Player of the Year brings nonstop effort and now heads to Tampa with HC Todd Bowles. <\/p>\n

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Tampa Bay entered the 2026 NFL<\/a> Draft with a clear mission to rebuild their defensive identity and round out their dominance, which makes Bain\u2019s fit with the franchise a perfect one. In recent years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have used their first round picks<\/a> to draft star players \u2013 both current and former members of the Krewe \u2013 including wide receiver Mike Evans<\/a> in 2014, Jameis Winston<\/a> in 2015, and Vernon Hargreaves<\/a> in 2016.<\/p>\n

Following the official announcement of his selection by the Buccaneers, Bain gave a straightforward answer to broadcast questions when he said that he \u201ccan do anything [he sets his] mind to\u201d and doubled down on how he believes that he is the best in the country, which seems to be a sentiment shared by Tampa Bay leadership.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Welcomes Rueben Bain Jr. to the Krewe<\/p>\n

In a message posted to the franchise\u2019s official Instagram account, the Tampa Bay Bucs welcomed Rueben Bain Jr., saying, \u201cMeant to be a Buccaneer. Welcome to the Krew, Rueben Bain Jr.!\u201d along with a palm tree emoji to symbolize the tropical environment of the surrounding Tampa area where the team is headquartered in central Florida.<\/p>\n

The Bucs ended the 2025 NFL regular season with a record<\/a> of 8-9 after back-to-back regular season records of 9-8 in both 2023 and 2024. They\u2019ve been in a period of reorganization and regrowth following their 2020 Super Bowl success.<\/p>\n

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