When Rueben Bain Jr. fell to the No. 15 overall pick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rushed in the pick to add the powerful pass rusher.
It's not just the front office or coaching staff that is giddy to add the self-described Mike Tyson-style edge. His new teammates were thrilled with his addition to the defense.
In an interview with on FanDeul TV this week, Bucs pass rusher YaYa Diaby said he was surprised Bain was still on the board with the club picked, because in his mind, the Miami product was the top edge of the draft.
"Just by the look in his eyes — he's hungry," Diaby said of his first meeting with the rookie. "And he got that mad, mad, mad look like he's ready to get after it. As you can see, from the walk that he had, he picked up the hat and just went right to the stage. So, you could tell how hungry he is, how ready he is. Honestly, the whole pass rush,, the whole edge class, he was the best in my eyes. I'm just so happy to have him part of this team."
Diaby said he could tell Bain was "pissed" with his draft fall, but believes he fell into an ideal situation for both the team and player.
Tampa desperately needed aid opposite Diaby, who led the Bucs with 7.0 sacks last season. No other player hit the 5-sack mark. Bain's presence immediately boosts a pass rush that had to bring blitzers to do any damage a year ago.
"He will be a difference maker for us," Diaby said.
The additions of Bain and veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad on a one-year deal have the potential to completely revamp the pass rush. Todd Bowles needs the rookie to be an impact player in Year 1 if the defense is to turn things around after last year's struggles.
Diaby, the Bucs leading sack artist two of the past three seasons, enters the final year of his contract. The former third-round pick is an interesting extension candidate. He's clearly one of the club's best pass rushers, a position of need throughout the league, but he has never hit the double-digit sack figure in a season. If it were up to Diaby, he'd sign long-term in Tampa.
"I'm excited, I can't even lie. This is where I want to be, especially the team that drafted you," he told Adams. "It's nothing but good; I love the fans, I love the coaches, I love my teammates, first and foremost. I love going to battle with them every single day."
