TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't hesitate to try to fix their pass rush woes by selecting Rueben Bain Jr. with the 15th pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.
One of the top prospects available, even after published reports linked him to a traffic collision that resulted in the death of a passenger, Bain helped Miami to an appearance in the College Football Playoff national championship game in January and is confident he's a good fit for the Bucs.
Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht feels the same way. He said the team did its homework on the 6-foot-3, 275-pound Bain, who had 20 1/2 sacks in three seasons in college.
“We've known about this for a long time,” Licht said of the accident Bain was involved in March 2024. "I know it just came out a couple of weeks ago. It was a very tragic accident. Tragic experience for the family. It's something you never want to see happen.
“He's a good person,”" the GM added. “Was involved in something none of us ever want to be involved in, never want any of our loved ones to be involved."
Bain, speaking from the draft in Pittsburgh via Zoom, did not say much about the accident or how he has coped with news of the collision breaking in the weeks leading up to the draft.
“Everything has its ups and downs. I try to make everything as simple as it possibly can be, try to prioritize whatever I can prioritize at the moment,” the 21-year-old said.
Bain, whose position coach at Miami was Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, said he was relieved when his name was called. He said he has family in Tampa and expects a smooth transition to the NFL.
The Bucs went 8-9 last season, losing seven of nine games following a 6-2 start to end a string of five consecutive playoff appearances that included a Tom Brady-led Super Bowl run during the 2020 season. The lack of a consistent pass rush was one of the biggest problems on defense.
Inside linebacker, tight end and cornerback are other priorities Licht and coach Todd Bowles could address during the three-day draft. Barring trades, Tampa Bay has three of the top 77 selections overall and at least one pick in each of the final six rounds.
The team began an overhaul of the defense this winter after losing linebacker Lavonte David to retirement and not bringing back cornerback Jamel Dean and linebacker Haason Reddick, who became free agents. Defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad signed a one-year deal with the Bucs in March after having a career-best 11 sacks with the Detroit Lions last season, and the Bucs also landed linebackers Alex Anzalone and Christian Rozeboom in free agency.
Tampa By finished with 37 sacks last season, the team's lowest total since Bowles, who continue to call defensive plays, joined the Bucs as defensive coordinator in 2019.
Bain can hardly wait to get started.
“I feel like I'll fit in just fine,” Bain said. “Bowles is an aggressive-like minded coach and I'm an aggressive-like minded player. I feel like it's 2 and 2 put together. It's going to be real simple, real smooth.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 15th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. celebrates with fans after being chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 15th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. walks on stage before the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Sonny Styles told family members hours before the NFL draft he thought he’d be going to the Washington Commanders.
“I just had this feeling,” Styles said.
On Thursday night, they made it a reality, taking the Ohio State linebacker with the seventh pick. Styles is a welcome addition to Washington’s defense, which ranked last in the league last season.
Commanders general manager Adam Peters said he initially didn’t think Styles would be available where they picked but did not hesitate when the linebacker was still on the board.
“He’s the type of person who will reach whatever potential he has,” Peters said. “He’s humble, he’s driven, he checks every box, so that made it an easy pick."
Styles played 55 games and made 41 starts over his four years with the Buckeyes. He was a co-captain as a senior in 2025 and led the team with 82 tackles and 46 solo tackles. The 21-year-old earned first-team All-America and first-team All-Big Ten Conference honors.
In Styles, Washington adds one of the most athletic players in the draft. At 6-foot-5 and 244 lbs., Styles ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and had a 43 1/2-inch vertical jump at the combine.
“He’s an elite athlete, elite size, elite length,” Peters said. “He’s just scratching the surface as a linebacker. He’s already really good and he’s only going to get better.”
Styles began his career in Columbus as a safety before switching to linebacker in the spring of 2024. In his first year playing the position full time, he started all 16 games for Ohio State en route to a national championship. Styles finished the year with 100 total tackles, 10 1/2 tackles for loss and six sacks.
Moving closer to the line of scrimmage was initially an adjustment for him, but the new position allowed him to unlock more of his potential.
“At safety, you are 10 yards away from the ball,” Styles said. “Things are happening a little slower; you have more time and space to make things happen. Now you’re moving to 5 yards; now things are happening faster. You have to get off blocks, make tackles, offensive linemen are climbing to you. That was an adjustment, really, just being closer to the ball. Things are happening faster.”
Styles's elite athleticism helped his transition to linebacker; he played all three positions over his final two years in Columbus. His versatility is something the Commanders coveted.
“Sonny is a guy who can play off the ball, he can play on the ball, he can mug up and blitz,” Peters said. "There are so many different things he can do. ... He’s got the size to play on the edge. He’s really versatile. We can kind of mix and match how we deploy those guys and play as many linebackers as we can on the field.”
Styles joins linebackers Frankie Luvu and Leo Chenal, creating a trio of versatile linebackers the Commanders are excited to deploy.
“That room, we feel great about it," Peters said. “We felt good about it going in, but we feel great about it (now). I love the guys in that room already. They are competitive guys. They’re all really athletic. They’re all guys you want to have on your team. Adding more competition — the theme of our program is competition — I know those guys will all fight and create roles for themselves.”
Peters was also impressed by Styles' game-to-game improvement throughout last season, specifically emphasizing his 12-tackle performance against Indiana in the Big Ten title game.
“He played his best ball at the end of the year,” Peters said. “He’s still ascending. It’s fun to watch his progression and just seeing how much better he got and how much better he still can get.”
The Commanders don't have another pick until the third round after trading their second-rounder to Houston last March as part of the trade to get standout left tackle Laremy Tunsil.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, center right, poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the Washington Commanders with the seventh overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles celebrates with fans after being chosen by the Washington Commanders with the seventh overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles pauses while putting on a hat after being chosen by the Washington Commanders with the seventh overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles poses on the red carpet before the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles poses after being chosen by the Washington Commanders with the seventh overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
