TAMPA, Fla. -- It didn't take long for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first-round pick to have his "welcome to the NFL" moment. It didn't come in the form of carrying a veteran's helmet and shoulder pads for edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., or in a hard-fought one-on-one rep against a player such as All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs.
Instead, it was a text message from Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle and Buccaneer Ring of Honor member Warren Sapp, who was the last Miami Hurricanes player selected by the Buccaneers in the first round of the NFL draft. That was back in 1995, when he fell to 12th and helped build one of the NFL's top defenses for nearly a decade.
"He was just telling me, 'This his city, giving me his well wishes," said Bain, a Miami native whose relationship with Sapp goes back to his days at Miami Central High School.
General manager Jason Licht said the Bucs were "thrilled to death" to land Bain at No. 15 last Thursday, as many prognosticators had pegged him to go higher. Coach Todd Bowles was equally ecstatic.