The draft feels like a distant memory as we enter training camp. Perhaps that is why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers felt that Wednesday was a good time to release video from inside their draft room. The team released video clips of when the Bucs decided on their first round pick of the 2026 NFL draft.
As we now know, the player they ended up selecting was Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain. Most expected him to be a top pick in the draft, but he slid all the way down to 15th overall. It was an unexpected surprise that played in the Bucs favor.
Detroit Is On Line One
However, based on the video released it seems like another team might have been looking to pounce on the opportunity to draft Bain. In that video it is revealed that the Bucs had an offer to trade back to the 17th overall pick. That pick belonged to the Detroit Lions.
Although we’ll never know for sure, it leaves me to wonder. Did the Lions try to steal Bain from the Buccaneers?
Based on the video, the Lions were negotiating with the Bucs while the Baltimore Ravens were on the clock. They held the 14th overall pick in the draft which was the one right before Tampa Bay. General Manager Jason Licht essentially made the decision to consider this offer only if Bain was not on the board.
The Ravens ended up selecting Vega Ioane from Penn State. As a domino effect, the Bucs selected Bain, the New York Jets selected Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at 16th overall and the Lions selected right tackle out of Clemson Blake Miller. However, I doubt that this was the player they were targeting with a trade up.
Once the Bucs were on the clock, it would have been only them and the Jets picking before the Lions. With Luke Goedeke in Tampa and the Jets selecting right tackle Armand Membou with the 7th overall pick in the 2025 draft neither of these teams had any need for a right tackle. So why would the Lions feel like they needed to trade up?
Those Sneaky Lions
It’s possible that Detroit was afraid that someone else might jump up and select Miller. However, 4 or the 5 teams following the Lions in the draft order (Minnesota, Carolina, Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Chargers) all have very good right tackles. It feels like a team would have had to move up pretty far to select Miller in the top 15, especially considering he was not a consensus top talent available at the time.Â
Another layer to this is the massive hole that Detroit had at edge going into the draft. The team has been looking for a running mate for their star edge rusher Aiden Hutchinson for several years. Pairing him with Bain would have made one of the most terrifying pass rushing duos in the league.
The alternative to Bain for the Lions was starting low level free agent DJ Wonnum and having him compete for the starting job with a day two edge rusher in an edge class which lacked a lot of high end depth to it. Compared to drafting Bain, this is a very underwhelming plan.
Buccaneers Get Lucky With Bain’s Fall
Regardless of what could have happened, Jason Licht navigated the draft brilliantly. He landed Bain, who was a top five talent in the draft, when it seemed like other teams were trying desperately to get him.Â
Do we know that the Lions were eyeing Bain with their offer to trade up? No, of course not. But if they weren’t trying to move up for the player they drafted and they weren’t trying to pick the player who went before them seeing as Detroit already has one of the best tight ends in the NFL in Sam LaPorta, then the logical conclusion is that they were targeting Rueben Bain.
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