INDIANAPOLIS — Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. said no team has mentioned arm length to him during his interviews, focusing on his play instead.
“People keep bringing that up out of nowhere, but no teams brought it up to me, so I don’t bring it up either,” he said. “As long as I just talk the talk and walk the walk, play with technique, nobody actually cares about it.”
Bain has been a subject of scrutiny over concerns about his arm length and how it can impact his skills as an edge rusher in the NFL. It did not hurt him at Miami, where he recorded 9.5 sacks this season and 20.5 in his three-year career.
He said he never heard about it as a potential issue until it became a topic of conversation late in the college football season.
“It kind of surprised me because I never heard it all my life and I just ain’t give it the time of the day honestly,” he said.
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Besides, he said, he’s convinced that his play on the field will matter more — no matter where he’s selected.
“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.”
And he offered a strong self-assessment.
“I just know that whatever team end up picking me, going to get the best out of me, going to get the best player in the draft,” Bain said.
Teams will take arm length into consideration, and Bain measured at 30 7/8 inches — about 2 or 3 inches shorter than desired — which could impact their decision.
If Bain is selected in the first round, his arm length would be the shortest for any edge rusher drafted in the first round since 2003, the earliest year for which ESPN Research has data on. The shortest arm length for a first-round edge rusher since 2003 is 31 3/8 by Miami’s Jerome McDougle, who was the 15th overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2003 draft.
But Tennessee Titans coach Robert Saleh said of Bain, “His tape is undeniable. He’s an unbelievable football player. He plays with great violence. His football IQ is off the charts.”
Miami Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley said they take arm length into consideration on a case-by-case basis. He said that he has seen shorter-armed edge rushers “get eaten up” but that some players are so quick they can get their hands inside the blocker first.
“In an ideal world, you’d love to have a guy with long arms,” Hafley said. “But there are guys that have shorter arms who are really good edge rushers or really good inside. It can be a conversation at all positions.”
Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters agreed that ideally an edge rusher has long arms. But the evaluation extends well beyond arm length.
“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.”
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Bain ranked as his No. 9 overall prospect available for this year’s NFL draft.
