{"id":862369,"date":"2026-04-09T14:48:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/862369\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T14:48:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T14:48:20","slug":"why-not-rueben-bain-joebucsfan-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/862369\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Not Rueben Bain? – JoeBucsFan.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Miami edge Rueben Bain.<\/p>\n

Joe doesn\u2019t give a damn if a guy has a baby arm<\/a> or not. If the man can punish quarterbacks, so what? He\u2019s Joe\u2019s kind of guy.<\/p>\n

Researching edge rushers, Joe noticed some schlockers have Miami beast Rueben Bain as the No. 3 edge rusher in the draft.<\/p>\n

The way Bucs coach Todd Bowles prefers best player available in the first round, Joe doesn\u2019t know if the third-best pass rusher will be better than the best tight end or second-best cornerback.<\/p>\n

Bain last year was a complete beast in the college football playoffs. Imagine that, a guy who comes to play in the biggest games.<\/p>\n

So Joe checked out CBS analyst Emory Hunt, the Czar of the Playbook, and read what his Football Gameplan Draft Guide 2026<\/a> has to say about Bain.<\/p>\n

Hunt thinks Bain is a baller.<\/p>\n

* Elite level point of contact strength that makes him a chore to block over 60-minutes. Heavy handed puncher who has the ability to walk linemen back into the pocket w\/leverage.<\/p>\n

* In conjunction with the heavy hands, he\u2019s got very active hands as well with the ability to combat the linemen who mostly out-reach him from an arm length perspective.<\/p>\n

* Great sense of timing to make THE play at the most critical juncture. Excellent pursuit skills and effort that helps him excel on both ends of defense.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing about the short arms: Are we not to believe Bain didn\u2019t play against decent if not good tackles in the playoffs? Are we really to believe all the tackles Bain faced in the playoffs were stiffs?<\/p>\n

And Bain mauled these guys. Game after game in December and January.<\/p>\n

But for \u201cthis Joe,\u201d the same issue with drafting Bain at No. 15 applies for all edge rushers. This coaching staff can\u2019t or won\u2019t develop a rookie into a double-digit sack guy.<\/p>\n

As Joe has written repeatedly about this Bain\u2019s teammate Akheem Mesidor, the only way Joe would draft Bain is if the Bucs hire his position coach at Miami, Hall of Famer Jason Taylor. Make him Bain\u2019s personal coach and give Taylor full autonomy to coach up Bain as he sees fit with zero interference.<\/p>\n

If the Bucs agreed to that, then \u201cthis Joe\u201d would be OK if the Bucs drafted Bain (or Mesidor). Otherwise, stay away from an edge rusher at No. 15.<\/p>\n

If the Bucs can\u2019t develop an edge rusher drafted in later rounds, at least it won\u2019t sting as bad as throwing a first-round draft pick away.<\/p>\n

“I can’t get over what I saw in the College Football Playoff\u2026 this guy is 8 million miles per hour on every single snap.”<\/p>\n

More from @joelklatt<\/a> on Rueben Bain ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. pic.twitter.com\/NHMUggaZgE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The Joel Klatt Show: A College Football on FOX Pod (@JoelKlattShow) March 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

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