There's a reason that Atlanta Falcons fans were livid as soon as Miami pass-rusher Rueben Bain Jr. fell into the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' lap with the 15th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Not only was Bain arguably a top-five talent in the class, the Falcons will also have to face him twice a year in Tampa.
As one of the best values picks of the 2026 Draft, the Buccaneers themselves were shocked to see an elite talent staring them in the face at the middle of the first round. And no one was happier to see him still available than Bucs' GM Jason Licht, who knows Bain is about to terrorize the NFC South.
Licht revealed on the Pat McAfee Show that only a few of their scenarios consisted of the All-American edge rusher still being available at 15, but when he was still there, they ran the pick up to the podium out of shock of landing arguably the nation's best pass-rusher without lifting a finger.
"My heart was beating out of my chest," Licht said. "I was about to pass out. There was so much excitement just because of the shock that he was still there and that he fell to us... I think we got a little bit fortunate."
Jason Licht said the Bucs were only able to draft Rueben Bain because of a butterfly effect
The longtime general manager said the draft board went perfectly relative to what the Bucs needed. He credited the run on offensive tackles, the slip of Caleb Downs, and the Rams' Ty Simpson pick as catalysts that dropped Bain into their lap, but also said the butterfly effect started months earlier.
Immediately afterward, the 55-year-old made another interesting admission. He said he thinks all of this started in free agency because of the failed Maxx Crosby trade between the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens, which would have sent the 14th overall pick in the 2026 Draft to Las Vegas.
Licht noted that if the Raiders had picked up Pick 14, his old buddy John Spytek would have been picking right before him. But even after the trade fell through, he was worried about Baltimore taking Bain, but his worries were quelled when they signed Trey Hendrickson to a mega-deal in free agency.
"(Trey) Hendrickson being signed by the Ravens, we were in on that a little bit. (We) felt a little bit dejected at first, but now maybe it worked in our favor."
Licht also said the Bucs were in on Hendrickson, as he's a Florida native who played his college ball not too far away at FAU. Of course returning home would've intrigued him. But when the Ravens backed up the brinks truck for him, it filled their need at edge rusher, which ultimately helped Tampa in the end since they took Penn State guard Vega Ioane over Bain at 14, helping him fall to them.
The Falcons' offensive line is the most suspect it's been in quite some time after Kaleb McGary's retirement. Jake Matthews is on the wrong side of 30, Matthew Bergeron is set to be a free agent, and Jawaan Taylor and Ryan Neuzil may not be long-term fixes. Only Chris Lindstrom's job is on total lock.
So you throw in a talent like Bain with an already-talented Bucs' pass-rush, it's only going to continue applying pressure on the Atlanta offensive line as Licht and Tampa Bay look to become NFC South champions for the fifth time in the last six years--and he'll certainly help their odds of doing so.
The Dirty Birds have dealt with their fair share of nightmarish star Bucs' defenders over the years. Derrick Brooks. Simeon Rice. Warren Sapp. Even Lavonte David. And if the Ted Hendricks Award winner pans out like those guys, Falcons fans (and their OL) will be in for a rude awakening in 2026 and beyond.
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