Todd Bowles ‘Extremely Surprised' Rueben Bain Jr. Slipped in 2026 NFL Draft

Last Thursday night, the new Miami Dolphins regime had a golden opportunity to gain immediate favor with the fan base.

Miami Hurricanes star edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. had fallen out of the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft. The Dolphins were initially slated to pick at No. 11 overall but traded the pick to the Dallas Cowboys, moving down to No. 12 overall. The Cowboys drafted Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, so Bain Jr. was still there for the picking when the Dolphins were on the clock.

Instead, Miami opted to select polarizing Alabama offensive tackle prospect Kadyn Proctor 12th overall.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers benefited from Miami’s missed opportunity by drafting Bain Jr. at No. 15 overall.

“We didn’t have him dropping to us at one time in the draft,” Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said on “The Rich Eisen Show” on Tuesday. “He’s one of the guys that we knew, if he fell, we would take him automatically. No questions asked. He was the one that fell, so we were more than happy to get him. Extremely surprised to get him, but extremely happy to get him.”

The narrative surrounding Bain Jr. from his breakout senior season through the draft process was that, despite his undeniable tape, NFL teams were hesitant to draft him due to his short arms. Bain Jr.’s arm length was officially registered as 30 7/8″ at February’s scouting combine.

“Like Mike Tyson,” Bain Jr. told Cameron Wolfe last month, addressing concerns around his arm length. “He wasn’t the tallest guy. He wasn’t the longest-limbed guy. But when you felt him, you felt him.”

The All-American maintained his unflinching confidence when asked about his draft-day fall during his introductory Bucs press conference last Friday.

“My mindset is always to have a bit of an edge to me,” Bain Jr. said. “I feel like I’m the best player, no matter what, so that’s kind of what I feed into. I really don’t let any outside noise dictate that. I just live with that mindset. I’m gonna get it each and every play.”

When asked specifically about the Dolphins passing on him, Bain Jr. said, “I feel like it won’t change anything. My motivation is myself.”

Bain Jr. played three seasons at Miami and emerged as a top prospect last season. He posted career highs across the board, with 54 total tackles (30 solo), 15.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 8:06 PM.