Rookie Buccaneers edge rusher Rueben Bain.

Choo… choo! The Rueben Bain hype train continues to roll down the tracks.

Even our friends in the desert are getting in on the act. Per Matt Severance of CBS, Bain is a popular bet among football fans to win “Defensive Player of the Year.”

The two players taking the most action thus far at the sportsbook are Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rusher Rueben Bain Jr. and Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs.

Most NFL Draft prognosticators expected both Bain Jr. and Downs to be top-10 picks in last Thursday’s first round in Pittsburgh. Miami’s Bain Jr., for example, was the No. 2 overall prospect on the CBS Sports Big Board and Ohio State’s Downs No. 8.

Bain Jr., meanwhile, has taken the most money and third-most wagers at the book after sliding all the to No. 15. … He has moved from an open of +600 to a +550 second-favorite behind Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey (+450), the No. 2 overall pick by the New York Jets.

Severance noted that despite all the fantastic defenders in Bucs history, dating all the way back to the great Lee Roy Selmon and also including Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and Lavonte David, the Bucs have never had a defensive player named “Defensive Rookie of the Year.”

Could the beastly Bain break the glass ceiling? Usually, these awards go to players who make a ton of splash plays like interceptions, fumble recoveries or touchdowns.

So Bain might have to turn into a sack monster right away, though edge rusher Jared Verse of the Rams won the 2024 Defenive Player of the Year award with just 4 1/2 sacks, and terror Texans edge rusher won it in 2023 with seven sacks.