Standout Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday that teams have not really asked him about his arm length and haven’t seemed “too concerned about it” during interviews.
However, as expected (and, perhaps, feared) by scouts for months, Bain’s official measurements Thursday were hardly ideal. The dynamic edge defender checked in at 6 feet, 2 inches and 263 pounds with 9 1/8-inch hands, 30 7/8-inch arms and a 77 3/8-inch wingspan.
That arm length — or lack thereof — is particularly noteworthy. If Bain remains an edge in the NFL, his arm length would rank among the lowest recorded at the combine for his position since 1999. Only Ohio State’s Nate Williams (30 5/8 in 2013) and Northern Illinois’ Sutton Smith (30 3/4 in 2019) have had shorter arm-length measurements among edges during that span.
Despite Bain’s terrific 2025 season at Miami, including electric work during the Hurricanes’ College Football Playoff run, some NFL teams have viewed him as more of a smallish three-tech defensive tackle than a true edge because of size and length concerns. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler noted in mid-December that Bain is “one of the more polarizing prospects in this class” and that, at the time, he carried “plenty of Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) grades from NFL scouts.”
Bain, No. 9 on Brugler’s pre-combine draft board, did not participate in any on-field drills or testing in Indianapolis. His next opportunity to perform in front of scouts likely will come at Miami’s pro day, although the date for that event has not yet been announced.
Bain’s best assets are his power and burst, as he is able to consistently punish tackles — generally, by going right through their chests — via a great first step and elite power. He rushes on the outside a lot like an athletic interior tackle would in the NFL.
Though the arm-length issue is not a surprise, or even remotely new information (Brugler in that December update expected Bain’s arm length to be 30 3/4 inches), it does illustrate that Bain could be available much later in the first round than many in the media had assumed. Will teams see him as a uniquely talented outlier or as a flawed edge in need of a position change?
Elsewhere among the edge group Thursday, Texas Tech standout David Bailey (No. 6 on Brugler’s board) might have pushed himself closer toward being a top-five pick with a bonkers testing performance. Bailey ran a blazing 4.51-second 40-yard dash (1.62-second 10-yard split), and he posted a 35-inch vertical and a broad jump of 10 feet, 9 inches. Bailey (6-3, 250) also checked in, officially, with 10 2/8-inch hands and 33 6/8-inch arms. He looks like a truly elite edge prospect.