It’s official! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers 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 and 15th pick by the Baltimore Ravens.
The powerful edge defender is an answer to Tampa Bay’s 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’t 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’s selection.
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Tampa Bay Bucs Select 15th Pick in 2026 NFL Draft
GettyJACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – AUGUST 17: Helmets of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Jacksonville Jaguars during a preseason game at EverBank Field on August 17, 2024 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
After a flurry of pre-draft predictions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 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.
The ACC Defensive Player of the Year brings nonstop effort and now heads to Tampa with HC Todd Bowles.
Tampa Bay entered the 2026 NFL Draft with a clear mission to rebuild their defensive identity and round out their dominance, which makes Bain’s fit with the franchise a perfect one. In recent years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have used their first round picks to draft star players – both current and former members of the Krewe – including wide receiver Mike Evans in 2014, Jameis Winston in 2015, and Vernon Hargreaves in 2016.
Following the official announcement of his selection by the Buccaneers, Bain gave a straightforward answer to broadcast questions when he said that he “can do anything [he sets his] mind to” 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.
Tampa Bay Welcomes Rueben Bain Jr. to the Krewe
In a message posted to the franchise’s official Instagram account, the Tampa Bay Bucs welcomed Rueben Bain Jr., saying, “Meant to be a Buccaneer. Welcome to the Krew, Rueben Bain Jr.!” along with a palm tree emoji to symbolize the tropical environment of the surrounding Tampa area where the team is headquartered in central Florida.
The Bucs ended the 2025 NFL regular season with a record of 8-9 after back-to-back regular season records of 9-8 in both 2023 and 2024. They’ve been in a period of reorganization and regrowth following their 2020 Super Bowl success.
Tampa Bay Bucs Pick Rueben Bain Jr. in 2026 NFL Draft