Rueben Bain Was “Inside The Top-5” On Tampa Bay Draft Board
April 29th, 2026
Bucs rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain.
This was a rare year in which Bucs officials could say “we got our guy” in Round 1 of the draft without people thinking they were floating a few ounces of BS.
Few teams get “their guy” when picking in the middle of Round 1 or later.
But on Thursday, the Bucs drafted Miami Mauler edge rusher Rueben Bain at No. 15 overall. He widely was considered a top-10 draft pick. Even Bain doubters ranked him as a top-12 or top-14 prospect.
On the official Bucs draft board, which is guarded by Team Glazer security, Bain was a top-5 pick. In fact, he might have been higher based on general manager Jason Licht’s comment yesterday on The Drive, on 95.7 FM WDAE.
“[Bain] was inside the top-5,” Licht said, when asked where Bain was on his draft board.
Perhaps more interesting was Licht noting how all seven Bucs draft picks were among the team’s top-100 players.
Joe realizes the entire Bucs draft board is about 150 players, as many are eliminated for reasons tied to need, character, film, etc. Still, the algebra on securing 7 of your top-100 players is not a common achievement. Licht admitted that.
Joe is high on the Bain pick for various reasons, and the Bucs truly getting “their guy” is one of them. The window on edge rusher excuses is quickly closing.