Buccaneers open OTAs with edge 'nobody could block' at rookie sessions

Now the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' position coach overseeing the development of first-rounder Rueben Bain, Foote is adamant that the rookie can become a "star."

Foote's bold Bain prediction

Foote watched the film on the Bucs' first-round pick out of Miami and came to a pretty firm conclusion.

"Off the film, if you had to bet, he's going to be a star," Foote said. "The way he plays the game, he's explosive, plays with great leverage, and it's hard to block those guys.

"Back in my Pittsburgh days, I played with a guy, James Harrison. You just couldn't block him. He [Bain] has that trait, has that ability."

Comparing a player who has never played a snap in an NFL game to a Hall of Fame semifinalist may raise some eyebrows, but Foote stood by his assessment and even went one step further.

"Impressed with his mindset," Foote said. "I kind of got a little feel for that when we interviewed him at the Combine. But these last few weeks, he has that Lavonte David focus."

Bain's Combine interview stunned Bucs

Foote talked about a moment during Bain's Combine interview when the youngster stunned the Bucs' evaluators by recalling a play in detail.

"He told you what the linebacker had, the guys on the inside, he knew the coverage, remembered the play," Foote said. "As soon as he left, everybody stood up and shook their head."

Bain slid to No. 15 overall partly because of concerns about arm length, but Foote's high praise suggests Tampa Bay's decision to overlook that issue is already proving sound.

The Bucs open OTAs on Tuesday, May 26. The way Foote describes Bain's progress so far, the veterans had better be on their toes.

"Rookie tryout camp, nobody could block him," Foote said. "Hustle to the ball, we've seen that throughout his tape. He loves ball, he's all about ball."