Rueben Bain was in the conversation as the best edge rusher in the NFL draft and was a prospect some believed the New Orleans Saints would pick at 8. The Saints passed on him and so did 12 other teams until he fell right in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' lap at 14th overall. The entire NFC South has been put on alert.
Coming into the draft, the Buccaneers were the only team in the division that didn't have a player with 10 sacks or 10 sack potential. They rectified that with this selection. Bain is a dynamic pass rusher with a great motor.
The Saints picked up Chase Young a couple of years ago. The Falcons invested in the position in last year's draft, and the Panthers did the same in free agency this offseason. Tampa Bay is now following suit.
Taliese Fuaga vs Rueben Bain will be the battle of the short arms
The biggest knock on Bain was his arm length. It's probably the reason he fell to the Buccaneers at 14, but when he goes against the Saints, it's not going to matter much. Bain played on both sides of the defensive line, but he was over the right tackle a little bit more. That sets him up to face Taliese Fuaga often.
That's a battle of two players with questionable arm length. Bain's arm length has been long debated. He has the second shortest arms in NFL Combine history among all edge rushers. There's no way to escape that conversation. Fuaga's arms weren't discussed as heavily, but his 33 1/8'" arms are a reason some believed he was better suited to play on the inside.
It hasn't stopped Fuaga from being a strong addition to the Saints offensive line. His health was the biggest detraction from his sophomore campaign, but he had a great rookie year. Tampa Bay is hoping for the same thing for the Bain. Regardless, it won't be an issue when he's face to face with Fuaga. This will be one of the more interesting battles to watch twice a year.