GENERAL MANAGER JASON LICHT

(Opening Statement)

"We got our guy!"

(On if OLB Rueben Bain Jr. was too good of a prospect to pass up on at pick No. 15)

"Yeah, absolutely. Now, time will tell. We think very highly of him, obviously, we think he's a great player. There were very few scenarios where we thought he'd be there, but there [were] scenarios, and we're very excited. [I] probably have never seen a more excited draft room."

(On what Licht likes best about Bain's game)

"I love that he's very unique where he's got a great blend of power and athleticism. He can bend, he's got get-off, he's very powerful, he's got very explosive not just athleticism, but powerful hands, powerful strength and he plays very edgy. He plays with a chip on his shoulder."

(On if there were any concerns about Bain's character following the recent reporting on a car accident that Bain was involved in in 2024)

"We've been doing work -- we'll start the process for next year's draft next week -- so our scouts, shoutout Cesar Rivera, he's been on it for a long time. We've known about this for a long time. I know it just came out a couple weeks ago. It was a very tragic accident, tragic experience for the family and it's something you never want to see happen. He's a good person. He was involved in something that none of us ever want to be involved in and never want any of our loved ones to be involved in. He loves football, he loves football."

(On Bain being coached by Hall of Famer Jason Taylor at the University of Miami, and Taylor calling Bain a "professional," and if that made the decision to draft Bain easier)

"Yeah, you love to be able to draft players that come from great programs and have been coached very well. I know our coaches have a very good relationship – a lot of our coaches do – with Jason [Taylor], and we've been talking. We obviously talked with him, like we do [with] all prospects and their coaches, but to draft a player that's come a program like that that's [an] excellent program to say the least, it just makes the process a little bit easier. We had a little bit more faith in the development of the player."

(On how encouraging it is to get a 21-year old prospect who has a "high ceiling" as a prospect)

"Yeah, it's great. I think I told you guys before, we don't necessarily factor age, but it's something. It's one step at a time, he still has to come in here. We're not anointing him into the Ring of Honor or Hall of Fame yet. We certainly like everything about him and we're very excited about it."

(On how the addition of Bain can help OLB Yaya Diaby on the defensive line)

"Well I think [when] you add a player like Rueben [Bain Jr.] and [if] he does what we think he can do, it opens a lot of things up. It makes everyone along the defensive line better when you can have two edge presences. The line, the protections don't slide as much, you have to decide where to slide them [and] it opens things up. Potentially now [with] David Walker, we have an arsenal [at edge rusher] right now that we feel good [is] a very good rotation. With 'Quan' (Al-Quadin Muhammad) and we still have 'Nelly' (Anthony Nelson) and all that. You can't have too many, I say that every year, but then it just doesn't work out that we can draft one at a premium, but now we did. Hopefully we can reap the rewards here."

(On what convinced him that Bain was a "Buccaneer man")

"His passion for the game. His passion to want to be the best. We like his edge that he brings out there and the guy practices the same way that he plays. Football is one of the most important things in his life."

(On how Bain overcomes the short arm measurements on tape)

"I think one of his assets is his low center of gravity and his power, his strength and his urgency. Mike Tyson has short arms too. He tries to win every rep and he usually does."

(On how much easier it makes a pick when it is a position of need and also the best player available)

"It makes it very easy. Like I said before there's a lot of celebrating going on right now. Probably not going to trade back into the first round here. Didn't mean to let the cat out of the bag, so I'm probably going to go up and have a couple pops."

(On if he had a concern if there would be a run on edge rushers when two were picked early into the draft)

"Yeah, there's always that nervousness. I had to stay calm and once again resist. It kind of reminded me a little bit of the year we drafted Vita [Vea]. Resist. We had some teams calling seeing if we wanted to come up, we had some teams seeing if we wanted to go back. Once he was there, I didn't want to risk that scenario. It's always nice to pick up picks, which is something I love to do, but when he was sitting there, we just had to turn it in. I waited a couple of minutes, but..."

(On why Licht thinks Bain was still available at pick No. 15)

"It could be a combination of the other teams, other needs. There were some really good football players that went in front of him. We had a quarterback that went and then we had some offensive linemen and it pushed him down a little bit, and it goes to show you that a lot of teams have a lot of needs and your board…You try to set it as best available player, but it always enters your mind when you have needs and we had him very high up on our board. Probably would've taken him a lot earlier."

(On what pick he thought Bain might be in play to draft)

"I think it was around [the Dallas Cowboys pick]."

(On his call with Bain)

"Keep in mind it's a pretty short call. He was very emotional, as we were. He was just very, very grateful that he was coming here. I think I asked him, the first thing was, I picked up the phone and said, 'What are you doing the next five-to-ten years?' And he said, 'I'm going to be a Buc,' and he was very emotional. I didn't want to get into a deep conversation with him and neither did [Head Coach] Todd [Bowles]. We wanted him to celebrate with his family and I know that's a big night for him."

(On what it means to Licht to make that call to players to tell them they are going to be a Buccaneer)

"I've never received that call, so I can't tell you how he feels, but I can only imagine it's got to be [emotional]. It's been a long process for these guys, a lot of visits, a lot of training, combine, all that stuff. For it to come to an end, it's got to be a relief, but then also I think he was genuinely very excited to be a Buc. I know a lot of former Bucs that have already reached out to me."

(On Head Coach Todd Bowles' reaction to selecting Bain)

"He was very excited. He's a hell of a football player and he's the type of player that we've been focused on here to bring in, so he was very excited. [Head Coach] Todd [Bowles] keeps it pretty close to the vest, but he was pretty excited though."

(On if former Buccaneers DT Warren Sapp reached out to Licht about the pick)

"Well, my phone is buzzing right now as we're talking, so I'm sure he'll be one of them soon. It's a lot."

(On how high the organization was on Bain)

"[We] felt very high. We still have a contract to do, so [laughs]."

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER RUEBEN BAIN JR.

(On his reaction to being selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and staying in Florida)

"It's such a relief, man, knowing that I was fortunate enough to get my name called tonight, no matter where it was. Having my name called has been a dream for the last 17 years. I actually haven't seen this and hearing it come true, it's a great feeling. The cherry on top is staying in Florida, man. I have family members that stay in Tampa. I have cousins that [have] played for the Bucs, so this is going to be a familiar atmosphere for me. I'm just excited and stoked to get there."

(On which cousins previously played for the Buccaneers)

"Carlton Davis [III]."

(On whether he has heard from former Buccaneers CB Carlton Davis III yet)

"My phone is on [do not disturb] right now, so I know once I get to it, I'll be able to probably hear from him."

(On what interactions he had with the Buccaneers during the draft process)

"I'll be honest, not a lot, but the ones I had, they were sincere and genuine. I told them, man, 'I've got family that stays in Tampa, so it's going to be easy for me. It's going to be an easy transition, so let's do it.' [Head] Coach [Todd] Bowles did it."

(On what he knows about Head Coach Todd Bowles' defense and how he fits into it)

"I feel like I fit in just fine because [Head] Coach [Todd] Bowles is an aggressive defensive like-minded coach and I'm an aggressive defensive like-minded player. So, I feel like it's two and two put together. It's going to be [really] simple, [really] smooth. Now, it's just about me learning plays, earning the trust of my teammates and learning what I can do to help the team."

(On if he knows Buccaneers DL Calijah Kancey)

"Yeah, [really] well – [really] well. So, I know when I get on my phone, it's going to be a great conversation."

(On how he has handled the past few weeks leading up to the draft)

"You know, everything has its ups and downs, but I just try to make everything [as] simple as it could possibly be. I try to prioritize whatever I can prioritize in the moment. Right now, that's just football and making sure I'm just really making that a main priority for me. My days are kind of fairly simple – just working out, going home, getting on the phone and pretty much doing the same thing and doing the rinse and repeat kind of cycle."

(On his best traits on the field and in the locker room)

"My motor. I feel like my motor and my mindset is contagious because when people see me, how I play and how I care about the game of football, it kind of spreads off on other people. I actually have proof of that, and that's not me just talking. That's from high school all the way up into college."

(On how working with Jason Taylor at the University of Miami prepared him for the NFL)

"I felt like I got the best coach I could possibly get these last three years. I mean, it's all a Hall of Fame coach. I didn't really realize until I look back on it or until I hear somebody else talking about it. It's just an amazing opportunity, and I was blessed enough to get that style of play, that style of coaching for the last three years. Not too many people can say they had one position coach all their whole college career and my coach was a Hall of Famer. So, there's even more cherries on top."

(On sharing draft buzz with University of Miami teammate Akheem Mesidor)

"Yeah, man, it's very rare, but we did it, man. That's a credit to us. That's a credit to Coach [Mario] Cristobal, Coach [Jason] Taylor, and how we came about our work each and every day on the Greentree [Practice Fields]. Whether that was in any stadium, home or away, we care about football so much and I feel like you've seen it in our play, and God just had the results that came out tonight."

(On what it felt like to walk across the stage and hear his name called)

"It was awesome. It was something I dreamed of, like I said, for the last 17 years of my life. So, actually getting to go through with it, it was amazing. Not too many people get invited to the draft, so it wasn't something I took for granted. Every second I was here, I loved it, because I knew there'd be people that'd be dying to be in my seat right now."

(On his family coordinating outfits for the draft)

"It's just an idea I came up with. We kind of [were] able to, and [were] fortunate enough to kind of pull it off, and I feel like we all looked coordinated and smooth."

(On what his family's support has meant to him)

"A lot. It means the world to me. I have about 20 to 25 family up here today, and five of those stay in Tampa, so I know I have a great support system that's going to be there. So, anybody I need to lean on, they're automatically there. My family is only three hours away, so it's nothing but a day as a road trip."

(On what fans should know about him as a player and person)

"I love football. I love my teammates. I love my teammates. Whoever is not my teammate, I hate them. This is what I love to do. I'm a Buc, so I love to be a Buc."

(On if there are any Buccaneers players he has watched and admired)

"Calijah [Kancey], because he's from Miami [and] he did it at such a high level, especially that crazy rookie year he had. I feel like everybody knows Tom Brady because it's Tom Brady. Mike Evans, because of what he [does], because it's Mike Evans. I've just been fortunate enough to know people. Like I said, my cousin, Carlton [Davis III]…Lavonte David, he's been there for a long time. So, I'll be able to get on the phone with him after this and just get the best opinion and best review."

(On if he has ever spoken with former Buccaneers DT Warren Sapp)

"He was actually just at the spring game, so I know he's going to have something to say when he sees me."

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