Rueben Bain Jr. Hyped by NFL Insiders Amid Arm Length Concern Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft

If anyone in the NFL has concerns about Rueben Bain Jr.'s arm length, they are doing a good job of hiding it from the public.

On the heels of Miami's pro day on Monday, NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe explained the takeaway from general managers and coaches that Bain's arm length is a data point but his "power" shows up on the actual game tape.

Wolfe added that one high-ranking team executive said he would "love" to draft Bain, but it won't happen because he will "be gone" long before they make their first pick.

The Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins were cited by Wolfe as teams that Bain met with this week. Tennessee owns the No. 4 overall pick, while Miami's first selection is at 11.

Bain's lack of size and length does put him very low among all EDGE defenders in the draft database. He ranks in the 16th percentile in height, 10th percentile in wingspan, ninth percentile in hand size and first percentile in arm length.

Per Daire Carragher of PFF.com, Bain's official arm length of 30 7/8 inches is the third-shortest measurement for an EDGE rusher at the NFL scouting combine in the last 25 years.

Carragher added that the only EDGE players who had sub-31-inch arms since 2006 with at least 500 career pass-rush snaps are Kyle Van Noy, Genard Avery and Matt Longacre.

It's not fair to compare Bain to that group because he's regarded as a much better athlete than those players. Avery was a fifth-round pick in 2018; Longacre was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Van Noy was a second-round pick in 2014.

Bain, even with the questions about his arm length, hasn't really had his stock impacted. He is projected to be selected by the Kansas City Chiefs with the No. 9 overall pick in B/R's most recent mock draft.

B/R's Matt Holder noted in his scouting report for Bain that the Miami standout is "strong and physical at the point of attack" against offensive tackles with "an ability to shed blocks from offensive linemen and make tackles near the line of scrimmage."

A three-year starter at the University of Miami, Bain recorded 33.5 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks in 38 games. He elevated his game on the biggest stage, registering eight tackles for loss and five sacks during the College Football Playoff to help the Hurricanes reach the championship game.

There might be some teams that talk themselves out of drafting Bain early because of the arm size, but it doesn't sound like enough of them will back off for him to fall very far in the first round.