Rueben Bain Jr. couldn’t silence the arm length concerns during his first few months with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because no one rushes the passer in shorts and t-shirts.
But when the first-round draft pick has a chance to excel in training camp in late July, one of the organization’s most decorated pass-rushers fully expects it to happen.
“If you have somebody that talented and that gifted athletically, I’m taking that all day,” six-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Gerald McCoy told Heavy Sports in an exclusive interview. “Because the kid can play football. There are a lot of people that have all the measurables, but they can’t play football. He knows how to play football. And that can be coached. So I’m not worried about it at all.”
Bain’s arms were measured at 30⅞ inches at the NFL Scouting Combine, which is significantly lower than the standard preference of 33-inch arms.
McCoy acknowledged coaches do worry about arm length, but he said the remedy is to coach up the traits someone like Bain does possess.
“I do not fall into the category of worrying about your arm length,” McCoy said. “I can teach any defensive lineman of his talent and athletic caliber to use what they have. The problem is these coaches are only coaches in title only. The definition of a coach is to take important people from where they are to where they want to be.
“Take Reuben Bain. He’s got short arms, but he’s got this, this, this and this. Alright, cool. I’m going to teach you how to use it. You can’t teach everybody how to do a cross-chop. You can’t teach everybody how to do a club rip. You can’t teach everybody how to do a swipe.”
McCoy will soon be doling out this advice to Bain personally. While the Bucs legend has yet to meet the No. 15 overall pick, he plans to attend training camp in August.
“I’ve been checking in with the coaches to make sure everything is copasetic,” McCoy said. “I’m going to get out there at some point during training camp so I can get face-to-face with him and have some conversations.”
Gerald McCoy Wants to Create Post-Playing Award for Philanthropy
McCoy spoke to Heavy days after the completion of his annual youth football camp in Oklahoma City.
The 38-year-old has leaned into philanthropy in retirement, and says many ex-players have done the same.
McCoy has been prodding the NFL to highlight one ex-player per year for community work, in the same spirit as the Walter Payton Man of the Year award which is given to current players.
“It’s very difficult to play at the highest level in the NFL, so you’ve got to be locked in at all times,” McCoy said. “It’s not that they’re purposefully being selfish, but you kind of have to to make sure you’re not slipping, because there is a draft every year.
“You want to play as long as you can, but afterwards, when you have nothing but time, it’s like, ‘OK, what do I do with everything I’ve done? What am I going to do with this platform?’ And then you see these people do incredible things outside of the game. I think those people should be honored as well as our current players.”
McCoy: ‘Extremely Important’ That Football Camp Was Free
While most football camps charge a registration fee, McCoy’s was free. He also gave away prizes like a TV and AirPods to his campers.
He said it was a very intentional decision to make his camp one that everybody could attend regardless of financial situation.
“It’s extremely important,” McCoy said. “I actually got discovered going to the (University of Oklahoma) camp. That’s where my name took off. Imagine if my dad saw that newspaper clipping but he couldn’t afford to get me to the camp?
“I never want to charge people for that opportunity, and it’s very rewarding for me to be able to do that. I’ve been extremely blessed with the platform and financial stability to do this for a lot of people.”
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Buccaneers Legend Addresses Rueben Bain Jr. Concerns appeared first on HEAVY.