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(Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers landed defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. in the 1st round of the 2026 NFL draft — all the way at No. 15 overall — and looking back at the way things played out this offseason, it’s starting to seem a lot like fate.

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday. He disclosed that before the Buccaneers selected Bain in the draft, there were 2 moments when they could have landed either NFL All-Pro edge rusher Maxx Crosby or Trey Hendrickson.

In 1 scenario, Licht’s friend and Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek, the former assistant general manager for the Buccaneers under Licht, reached out about trading Crosby for the No. 15 overall pick.

“Just kind of what people who are friends do for each other in this business,” Licht said. “Just kind of looking out for each other … he knew what we needed and he could see where we were (at No. 15 overall).”

Licht also said the Buccaneers were briefly in the hunt for Hendrickson, who signed a 4-year, $112 million free-agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens after they backed out of trading 2 1st round picks for Crosby, saying he was “sad” when they missed out on Hendrickson.

Instead, the Buccaneers landed a player in Bain that they can build their defense around for the next decade.

Rueben Bain Jr.: Prize of 2026 NFL Draft

It’s not unfair to describe Licht as giddy — as he should be — over landing Bain at No. 15 overall.

Projected as a Top 5 or Top 10 pick for most of the lead-up to the draft, Bain dropped over concerns about his arm length and a pre-draft scandal over a 2024 car accident in which 1 of the passengers in a car he was driving died.

“We saw Rueben Bain as a game wrecker,” Licht said.

Bain will almost certainly be the most motivated player coming out of the 2026 draft and could be Tampa Bay’s best defensive player as a rookie.

Fox Sports NFL reporter Ben Arthur predicted Bain will be the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Buccaneers have had 2 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year winners in running back Warrick Dunn (1997) and running back Cadillac Williams (2005), but have never had a defensive winner.

“Bain may have slipped a bit in the first round, but as Tampa Bay’s pick at No. 15, he landed in a great situation with a defensive-minded head coach in Todd Bowles,” Arthur wrote. “The attention standout nose tackle Vita Vea draws from the interior offensive line could open up advantageous matchups on the edge for Bain.”

Bucs Could Feature 3 1st Rounders Up Front

The defensive front for the Buccaneers could feature 3 1st round picks in 2026 with Bain, defensive tackle Vita Vea, and defensive end Calijah Kancey.

Kancey, the No. 19 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, is the biggest wild card after struggling with injury issues through his 1st 3 seasons.

Despite that, the Buccaneers picked up the 5th year option on Kancey’s contract.

“Bucs are picking up the fifth-year option for DL Calijah Kancey, which should be about $14.5 million for 2027,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account on April 27. “Had he made a single Pro Bowl, for instance, it bumps the value up another $7 million.”