The most anticipated measurement of the 2026 NFL combine – Rueben Bain Jr.’s arm length – has been revealed.
Bain measured in with 30 ⅞-inch arms ahead of the combine’s defensive line workouts on Feb. 26. That puts the Miami (FL) product in the first percentile – where a lower percentile placement correlates with smaller/shorter arms – among edge rushers and defensive linemen since at least 2010, according to MockDraftable’s database of NFL combine measurements.
Bain’s wingspan of 77 ½ inches was marginally better; it ranks in the 10th percentile among edge rushers and 13th among defensive linemen since 2010, per MockDraftable.
Nonetheless, Bain’s measurables in these areas peg him as an outlier. That will make him an intriguing evaluation for teams considering him with a top-10 selection in the 2026 NFL Draft.
To his credit, Bain didn’t seem worried about his arm length when asked about it ahead of his combine workouts.
‘People keep bringing that up out of nowhere, but no teams brought it up to me, so I don’t bring it up either,’ Bain told reporters, per ESPN. ‘As long as I just talk the talk and walk the walk, play with technique, nobody actually cares about it.’
Bain accomplished that goal in his final season with the Hurricanes. He generated a career-best 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss while helping lead Miami to an appearance in the national championship game.
That’s why the 21-year-old is confident he will be able to succeed at the NFL level despite his atypical frame.
‘I’m versatile and I got a hot motor,’ he said. ‘I could do it at any position, at any time with the best effort, and it’s on film, it’s not something I’m just seeing.’
Bain wasn’t the only potential first-round edge rusher to measure in with bottom-tier arm length at the combine. Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell checked in with 30 ¼-inch arms ahead of his workout.
That will leave both prospects hoping teams will be willing to look past their physical shortcomings, much like the New England Patriots did when they selected LSU offensive tackle Will Campbell No. 4 overall in 2025 despite similar arm length concerns.
