Rueben Bain is one of the top players in the 2026 draft class, but he has one major deficiency: his arm length. Everyone knew his arms were below the 33-inch threshold teams like their edge rushers to meet, but I don’t know if any of them expected his to come in at 30 7/8 inches.

To put into perspective how short Bain’s arms are, of all the defensive ends who have attended the NFL Combine since 1999, his are tied for the fourth shortest — and they would rank third shortest if it weren’t for Cashius Howell, who has the shortest arms of any edge rusher in this draft class.

How much does arm length really matter? Bain told reporters that teams don’t seem to be too worried about his arm length, but there’s a reason why a 33-inch arm is the standard at the NFL level. Not many edge rushers with sub 32-inch arms have found much success in the league, so today I’m going to see how edge rushers with similar arm lengths fared in the NFL.

Nate Williams, 2013

Arm Length: 30 5/8 inches

Prior to Cashius Howell’s measurement, Nate Williams held the record for the shortest arms recorded by an edge rusher at the NFL Combine. Back in 2013, the Ohio State product measured in at 30 5/8 inches, and was coming off an 11.5-sack career at Ohio State.

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Williams didn’t have the college production Bain has, but his arm length was a big reason he ended up going undrafted before signing with the Minnesota Vikings. Unfortunately, he never recorded a stat while in the league.

Sutton Smith, 2019

Arm Length: 30 3/4 inches

Coming out of Northern Iowa, Sutton Smith was fairly highly touted. He recorded 29 sacks in his final two seasons in college and entered the NFL Draft in 2019. However, his stock took a bit of a hit at the combine, where he measured in with 30 3/4-inch arms.

Unlike Williams, Sutton was actually picked in the draft. The Pittsburgh Steelers took him in the sixth round, but he never saw the field for them. He eventually made his way to the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021, where he recorded his first and only tackle at the NFL level.

Tyree Johnson, 2022

Arm Length: 30 7/8 inches

Former Texas A&M DE Tyree Johnson measured in with the same arm length as Rueben Bain at 30 7/8 inches. He was coming off an 8.5-sack season with the Aggies and was projected as a sixth-round pick by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, but he ended up going undrafted before signing with the Steelers.

Johnson signed a three-year deal with Pittsburgh, but never recorded a single stat in the league. If you combine the three edge rushers since 1999 with the same arm length or shorter than Bain’s, they have a combined one tackle in the NFL.

Ricky Elmore, 2011

Arm Length: 31 inches

Now we’re getting to the guys with longer arms than Bain. Ricky Elmore, a defensive end prospect out of Arizona, measured in with 31-inch arms at the combine. He was coming off back-to-back 10+ sack seasons with the Wildcats and tested well on the bench press (26 reps) and 20-yard shuttle (4.32 seconds), showcasing his strength and agility.

On draft night, Elmore slipped to the sixth round, where the Green Bay Packers made him the 197th overall pick. But as was the case for all the guys above him, he barely saw any game action and never recorded a stat in an NFL game.

Cheta Ozougwu, 2011

Arm Length: 31 inches

After a solid four-year career at Rice, where he recorded 10 sacks in his final three seasons, Cheta Ozougwu entered the 2011 NFL Draft alongside Ricky Elmore. Ozougwu also measured in with 31-inch arms, and he was drafted one round later than Elmore by the Houston Texans with the 254th pick in the draft.

Unlike Elmore, Ozougwu actually earned some playing time. In 2012 and 2013, as a member of the Chicago Bears, Ozougwu racked up eight tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. He wouldn’t play in the league after 2013, but he’s easily the most successful player on this list so far.

Wyatt Hubert, 2021

Arm Length: 31 inches

Wyatt Hubert was a very successful pass rusher at Kansas State, where he logged 20 sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception in three seasons. After an 8.5-sack season in 2020, Hubert entered the 2021 NFL Draft, and despite a pretty strong showing at the combine in the three cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle, his 31-inch arms caused him to slide to the seventh round.

The Cincinnati Bengals made Hubert the 235th pick in the draft, but he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in training camp as a rookie, and after that, he never played a snap in the NFL.

Dean Lowry, 2016

Arm Length: 31 inches

Dean Lowry is easily the most successful player on this list. Entering the combine at 6-foot-6, 296 pounds with just 31-inch arms, some teams already envisioned a move to the inside, but after he put up 30 reps at the bench press, it all but sealed his fate.

After the Packers made Lowry the 137th pick in the draft, he transitioned to defensive tackle, where he carved out a really nice career. Over the course of nine seasons, Lowry has played for three teams and totaled 272 tackles and 16.5 sacks while playing in over 130 games.

Lowry found much more success than anyone else on this list, but that’s because he had the size to play defensive tackle. Bain is far too small to be much of a force inside.

What does this tell us?

What Bain is trying to do is unprecedented. No edge rusher with arms his size has ever found success in the NFL without moving inside. I know he is a much better prospect than all of these other guys, but if you take him in the first round, you are banking on him being a complete outlier. The good news is he’s talented enough to be a complete outlier.

Bain is a great athlete with incredible bend, which really helps when you have shorter arms. You just have to accept the fact that when he can’t get his hands on a bigger offensive lineman first, he’s going to be completely neutralized. He’s talented enough to work through that, but there are some plays where he’s going to be a non-factor.

Someone in the top 10 is going to take a chance on Bain doing something that’s never been done before. It’s just a question of who is willing to take that chance.