No doubt one of the biggest discussions throughout this NFL draft process is Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr.’s arm length. He measured in at the combine with an arm length of 30 ⅞. The typical length teams look for is around 33, but anything a little bit under is fine.

Bain’s measurement is the sixth-shortest arm length for an edge defender recorded in the Mockdraftable database, which has data all the way back to the 1999 draft class. It’s a big outlier, and a reason some NFL scouts or media personnel have Bain falling in this year’s draft.

It’s a legitimate concern for teams. The arm length for tackles is usually around 33-34 inches, and with Bain’s 30-inch arms, you can see the troubles he’d run into.

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The short scouting report on Bain is that he’s a stout and compact player who thrives on his strength. Can win in multiple ways, especially with his speed and ability to bend around the edge. He’s a good run defender at getting his arm into the chest of tackles.

With a player whose base of his game relies on power, the shorter arms are a problem because he could get stonewalled in the NFL due to longer-armed players, but for me, I don’t think it matters, and here’s why.

Background on Bain

Bain grew up in Miami and was a consensus four-star recruit coming out of high school. He played at Miami Central and helped lead them to four state titles. He committed to his hometown school in Miami in December of 2022 as a part of the 2023 recruiting class.

He stayed all three seasons at Miami, playing over 1,600 snaps. In his first two seasons as a Hurricane, he totaled 65 quarterback pressures, 13 sacks and 40 run stops out on the edge.

2025 is where he fully bursts onto the scene. In 707 total snaps, Bain had 83 quarterback pressures, 12 sacks, 68 quarterback hurries and 37 run stops. He was a true force on the edge and one of the main reasons why Miami made it to the National Title game against Indiana. His season earned him a plethora of awards, including ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a spot on the NCAA All-America First Team.

His defensive coach the past three seasons? Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, who’s been with the Hurricanes since 2022. Taylor needs no introduction, but he is a big reason why Bain looked the way he did in his three seasons at Miami.

Where Bain thrives

Bain had a pass-rush win rate of 14.9 percent this season for Miami. He won with speed, power and bend around the edge. One of the biggest traits that stood out in his tape is how smart he is. He knows his arms are shorter; it’s not a secret, and the way he would combat it, at times, was just masterful.

Speed and bend

It all starts with his bend, and in the clip above, you see the get-off Bain has off the line of scrimmage. His get off is more explosive than his teammate, Ahkeem Mesior, who’s another projected first-round pick, and the bend around the edge to stay low to the ground and dip under the tackle’s arms isn’t easy – Bain makes it look easy.

Reps like this, while they don’t happen often in the NFL,  help Bain’s transition to the league. It won’t be easy like this every time, but he got to the quarterback and didn’t even have to use his arms. Just plain athleticism.

Bain has real speed and twitchiness to his game. In this rep against Florida, you see him bait like he’s going inside, the tackle reacts and leans to get ready to power step down on Bain – then in an instant, Bain explodes back to the outside, swims over the tackle and gets in for a hit on quarterback DJ Lagway.

Force in the run game

On this rep, Bain lines up over the tackle and tight end. Their responsibility is to double-team block him and seal the edge to give the running back an option towards the outside.

Bain just ruins that completely. Off the snap, he sees the tackle attack him, and he knows it’s a run. Look at how Bain drops his pad level to have a lower center of gravity, and look at how he’s split the double team in the middle – all while his head is up. He may not have gotten off this double team, but he had the strength and movement to force this back up the field and into the teeth of the Hurricanes’ defense.

This clip is just perfect. It’s an outside run towards Bain’s side, and the Ohio State left tackle’s responsibility is to seal the edge on Bain, so his back can turn the run upfield behind his back. Again, Bain doesn’t let that happen.

He’s a smart player, so he understands he doesn’t have the length to fully set this edge, so he jams his shoulder into the tackle and uses his strength to run alongside the tackle horizontally down the line of scrimmage, and while keeping his head up, eventually overpowering the tackle and getting in for the run stop.

IQ and Power

This clip may be my favorite. It packs in everything that Bain shines at, especially his intelligence and strength. The tackle opens to match Bain’s upfield release. He then shoots out his arms to engage Bain first, and you can notice Bain tries to match back, or swats the arms down, and doesn’t

Bain then pivots and puts his shoulder directly into the tackle’s chest, and with his shoulder and left arm, he just throws the tackle off him, but is a second too late to get a sack. The strength just shows itself here, but my favorite part about this is the ability to quickly adapt to what has happened in this rep. The tackle got his arms on immediately, and Bain quickly pivoted to this shoulder move to use his lower pad level to win this rep. The best thing about this rep? Bain’s feet never stopped moving throughout it.

This shoulder move is something Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons does a ton in the NFL. Parsons, like Bain, doesn’t have the desired 33-inch arm length in the league.

Here’s a simpler rep that shows his ability to throw guys off him. Here, the guard punches, and Bain just ignores it – he gets his arm on the shoulder pads, just grabs the guard, and throws him off with ease. This rep shouldn’t look this easy; it gets in for the sack in just a matter of seconds. The power is in his game, and it’s real.

The arm length issues exist

Virginia Tech’s tackle does a nice job, just attacking Bain from the jump. Got off a quick punch, and Bain was never able to counter. He then tried to get in close again, and before he could get his shoulder or arm on the chest of the tackle, the tackle punched again, separating himself from Bain.

It’s a great rep from the tackle, but it showcases the limitations of Bain’s arm length.

Outlook

It’s a tough case to bet on outliers in the NFL draft process, because history tells us they don’t usually work out – especially one like Bain, who’s a complete outlier at the edge rusher position. But you don’t get 83 pressures in a single season without some type of pass-rush plan or the ability to win in a multitude of ways, and Bain showcases that.

Not only is he a rusher, but he also shows effort and willingness to impose his will in the run game. He’s been coached by a Hall of Famer for the past three seasons of his college career, he’s showcased himself as a problem solver on the field, and he checked boxes at his pro day showing fluidness and power in the drills.

It’s a tough decision for any NFL team; these front offices are a billion-dollar operation, and for them, this decision matters – a ton. But, if there was one outlier, one guy, one player’s work ethic I’d take a chance on and stand on the table for. There’s no doubt it’d be the player who’s had 156 quarterback pressures, 25 sacks and 81 run stops in his three years at the college level.

​It’s Rueben Bain Jr.