Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles on Landing Rueben Bain Jr. in the NFL Draft

Todd Bowles came back on The Rich Eisen Show after the draft to talk about what happens next in Tampa Bay, and the head coach started with the calendar.

The Buccaneers are in phase one. Veterans are in the building, working out, getting reacquainted with the scheme, and absorbing the changes that come with a new offensive coordinator. The rookies arrive next weekend for mini camp on Mother's Day weekend. By training camp, Bowles wants the whole group playing fast and knowing the playbook.

Then Rich pivoted to the part Buccaneers fans actually wanted to hear about. Reuben Bain Jr.

Bowles did not mince words about how Tampa Bay had Bain mocked. The Buccaneers never had him falling to them. Not once. But the team had agreed internally that if Bain was somehow available, they were taking him without a discussion.

"He was the one that fell," Bowles said. "We were more than happy to get him. Extremely surprised. Extremely happy."

Rich asked about the chatter around Bain's arm length, the measurement that knocked some teams off the player despite tape that Rich described as off the charts. Bowles laughed it off with a Mike Tyson reference and then got into the actual football reasoning. Bain doesn't try to bull rush down the middle of an offensive lineman. He plays with the right demeanor. He has a wide array of pass rush moves. He knows when to shoot his hands and when not to.

Rich noted that Bain looked visibly upset sitting in the green room as the picks went by. Bowles reframed it. Not pissed. Confident. High-strung. Wears his emotions on his sleeve. Ready to get to work. The kind of fire Rich suggested a head coach might enjoy stoking.

"Love it," Bowles said. "Love it to death. I hope it spreads."

The comparison Rich brought into the conversation was Shaquil Barrett, another smaller-armed pass rusher who became dominant in this Tampa Bay defense. Bowles agreed Bain has similar hands but uses them differently. More violent. Same knack for rushing the passer. Same understanding of what to do with all of it.

The second-round pick, Josiah Trotter, brought a personal story to the surface. Bowles met Jeremiah Trotter, the father, years ago. The two of them crossed paths again at a Clemson workout when their sons were juniors in high school. Now Bowles is drafting the kid he met that day.

"Isn't it amazing how football life works," Rich said.

Bowles described Josiah as a thick, physical linebacker who can run, blitz, and cover better than people think. He sees the same demeanor in Josiah that he sees in Bain.

The head coach then ran the rest of the board for Rich. Tedarrell Herron from Georgia State, a hidden project Bowles thinks can help. Ke'Shawn Scott, a versatile defensive back who can play nickel, corner, safety, and linebacker. Kei'Trel Clark, a four technique with strong hands and surprising speed for his size. David Sharpe, a tough Notre Dame guard who adds depth at a position where two starters got hurt last year. And Bowden Sharpe, a tight end Bowles thinks the staff can develop.

It was a draft Tampa Bay went into hoping for one specific name. They got him.