Reuben Bain Jr. is one of the major reasons behind Miami’s playoff run last season. Despite his talent, one key concern has always cast doubts on him. That’s his arm’s length, which is shorter than 31 inches and stands at 30 7/8 inches. But despite that, he dominated each one of his opponents, and now a Big Ten assistant coach is standing by his side, calling all his critics “idiots.”

“All those people who talk about how short his arms are are idiots,” a Big Ten assistant coach said to The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman. “This is just asinine conversation that people are having. Watch his film. He’s gonna be a dude, He’s gonna be an elite pass rusher, He gets off the ball, He has elite power.

You turn speed into power; arm length doesn’t matter. He’ll neutralize their length. He’s elite, man. Did you watch his (pro day)? He can get his right shoulder almost on the ground when he’s turning the corner, and the violence he’s coming out of it with — what he did in that drill is rare.”

His hand size has never been a problem for him. He led the nation with 68 quarterback hurries last season and even produced 5.5 tackles for loss and four sacks against Texas A&M and Ohio State. His explosive play earned him the highest grade of (81.8) from PFF among all defensive players in the two semifinal games, including a key win over Ole Miss.

Then, in Miami’s final championship game against Indiana, Bain made eight tackles, which was the most he had all season. He also caused 2.5 tackles for loss and pressured the quarterback three times. He carried the same momentum against Florida State, and he pressured the quarterback 10 times. So, all these performances show that his arm length has never been a problem for him.

The Big Ten assistant coach gave a perfect reply to former Pittsburgh nose tackle Breiden Fehoko, who watched videos of Bain practicing at the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility and became worried about how Bain plays as an edge rusher.

“As a short arm guy, this is why I’m worried about Bain at the next level,” Fehoko said on X. “His first point of contact is his head. Your head should never strike an offensive lineman first in the run or pass. Separation is king.”

Fehoko also warned that if Reuben Bain Jr. can’t create space between himself and blockers, he may struggle to make plays regularly at the NFL level. He also added that in a 4‑3 defense, Bain might keep the same freedom he had at Miami. But if he ends up in a system that requires different techniques, he may need to adjust. However, these concerns don’t define the kind of player he is, and Fehoko is only talking about areas to improve, not his overall talent or potential.

Plus, even NFL teams are not paying much attention to his shorter arms. The Washington Commanders, who Feldman projected as a possible destination for Bain Jr., are one such team. Their general manager, Adam Peters, explained how players with shorter arms can still make better plays.

“In terms of guys with shorter arms, there’s a few in this draft that are really, really good players,” Peters said. “It’s great to have that length, but it’s also how they use it and how it comes out on the tape. Some guys can excel with shorter arms by doing things differently.”

While Bain isn’t the only prospect to enter the NFL with short arms, the history of players with similar measurements is a cause for concern.

Other NFL Players With the Same Arm Length as Reuben Bain Jr.

Now, Reuben Bain Jr.’s production and skills are exceptional, which even overpower his small arms. But just like him, many NFL players went into the NFL but couldn’t make much of an impact.

Nate Williams, an edge rusher from Ohio State in 2013, had very short arms for his position, measuring 30 5/8 inches, which was the shortest at that year’s NFL Combine. Even though he had 11.5 sacks in college, he went undrafted and signed with the Minnesota Vikings, but he never recorded any stats in the NFL.

Sutton Smith, from Northern Iowa in 2019, also had short arms, measuring 30 3/4 inches. He had 29 sacks in his last two college seasons. The Pittsburgh Steelers picked him in the sixth round, but he didn’t play for them. Later, he joined the Las Vegas Raiders and recorded just one tackle in 2021.

Even DE Tyree Johnson from Texas A&M had the same arm length as Reuben Bain at 30 7/8 inches. He had a strong college season with 8.5 sacks, but he went undrafted. He signed a three-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet he never recorded any stats in the NFL.

If you look at these three edge rushers since 1999, Nate Williams, Sutton Smith, and Tyree Johnson all have arms as short or shorter than Bain’s, and all of them have combined for only one tackle in the NFL.

This shows that even though these players performed well in college, having very short arms makes it extremely hard to succeed and make a big impact at the professional level. So, let’s wait and see how things turn out for Reuben Bain Jr.