TAMPA — Buccaneers first-round pick Rueben Bain Jr. is drawing comparisons to one of the most feared defenders in NFL history, with former coach Jon Gruden likening the Miami product to Pittsburgh Steelers legend James Harrison.
“I think he can be a double-digit sack guy,” Gruden said on the 95.7 WDAE show. “If you look at James Harrison who played a long time for the Pittsburgh Steelers, very similar length and playing style [to Bain]. Coach [Larry] Foote on the Bucs staff, I think I heard him mention James Harrison’s name and Harrison was not even drafted but he would kick your ass week-in and week-out. That is what I think Tampa Bay has, their version of a young James Harrison.”
The comparison carries weight. Harrison was voted first-team Associated Press All-Pro twice, earned Pro Bowl selections in five consecutive years from 2007 through 2011 and was twice voted Steelers MVP in 2007 and 2008. He set the Pittsburgh single-season record with 16 sacks in 2008 and became the first undrafted player to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII remains one of the defining plays in NFL history. On the play, Harrison dropped into coverage, read quarterback Kurt Warner’s arm movement, intercepted the pass at the goal line and ran the length of the field to score.
Bain, like Harrison, lacks the prototypical height and length profile for an edge rusher but compensates with speed, power and what the Buccaneers organization describes as a relentless motor. At the University of Miami, Bain paired violent hand strikes with the agility to bend around the rush arc, winning with a combination of defensive tackle strength and edge rusher finesse.
Bucs defensive line coach Larry Foote, who played alongside Harrison in Pittsburgh, has also invoked the Harrison comparison internally, according to Gruden. Bain is expected to serve as a tone-setter in Todd Bowles’ defense when the regular season opens this fall.