Rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain.
So a guy tasked with scouting players for a Todd Bowles defense in his pre-Tampa days has spoken out.
Greg Nejmah has seen a lot of wasted talent. The guy worked in the Jets front office for 16 years before leaving after last season. Imagine how sharp and/or likeable Nejmah must have been to survive all those leadership changes.
Filling in for Phil Simms on the Simms Complete podcast, Nejmah talked about the 2026 NFL Draft and the former captain of the Jets ship, Todd Bowles. The Bucs head coach had the same job with the Jets for four seasons (2015-2018).
Nejmah said Bowles found the perfect marriage with Bucs first-round pick Rueben Bain, the beastly Hurricanes edge rusher.
“Obviously, I know Todd Bowles and his defense and what he calls,” Nejmah said. “When I watch Bain, I was like, ‘that is exactly what Todd wants.’ Tough, physical, gritty, relentless, not going to wow you athletically, but his disruption, his power, the ability to play on the edge and like even move him around a little bit, I think, is going to be huge for them.
“And the other thing with Bain, they’re not going to have to take him off the field on first and second down; he can be a three-down guy as long as he picks things up physically early on in his career.”
Co-host Matt Simms, the former NFL quarterback and the brother of ex-Bucs QB Chris Simms, agreed with Nejmah and said “Bain’s super power” is his ability to stop the run, in addition to terrorizing QBs.
Joe likes how Nejmah mentioned how Bain can play the run well “as long as he picks things up physically.”
It’s important to remember Bain is just 21 years old. He’s a powerful dude, but there’s no doubt he’ll add a fair amount of man strength over the next year or two. That will help him become a force against the run.