Rueben Bain Jr. Arm Length Concerns Addressed by NFL Coaches, Execs Ahead of 2026 NFL Draft

There's little doubt that Rueben Bain Jr. produced at the college level, with 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss last season alone. But arm length has been a persistent topic, with Bruce Feldman of The Athletic noting that "his 30 7/8 inch arms, it has been noted extensively, would be the shortest of any first-round defensive lineman in modern draft history."

Most NFL evaluators don't seem all that concerned, however.

"Any time you get a guy who falls outside of that range (of measurables) where they don't check that one box, you've just gotta spend a little more time on them and go back and watch them against real guys," an NFL scout told Feldman. "I'm not worried about it. He's just so strong and has top-end bend, and to be that powerful and have that kind of slip, he's just a really natural player. He does a good job of keeping guys' hands off of him. Will it rear its head more at our level against some of the creatures on the offensive line? Probably, but I still think he's gonna be a really good player. He really sets the edge and plays with such violence. I haven't heard anyone take the stance that they don't like Rueben Bain. He definitely is an outlier. But if you work the (arm) argument backwards, why is this guy worthy of making an exception? Watch the film. He proves it time and time again."

There is some dissent, however.

"His arm length does scare me, especially against tackles," a defensive line coach told Feldman. "He ain't gonna be able to get into them. I think his get-off is really good and his bend is crazy, especially for a square-shaped guy. You'd think he'd be more top-heavy, but his bend is like Nik Bonitto-crazy. But I do think he will struggle right away because he has to be the aggressor. These guys will put their hands out there and wall you off. You gotta be the aggressor in everything you do. He's got a good speed to power, and that has to be his go-to."

Another defensive line coach was a bit worried about his upside, given there isn't a natural NFL comparison for Bain, but still believed he would be a top-10 pick. But the prevailing belief among the evaluators and defensive line coaches that Feldman spoke to is that Bain's power, burst and bend would be more than enough to compensate for his arm length.

The B/R NFL Scouting Department ranked Bain the No. 5 overall draft prospect on its final big board and the top edge available (Arvell Reese was above him at No. 4 overall but was classified as a linebacker and not an edge). Bain's arms have been a topic, but his upside seems to be eclipsing those potential concerns.