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Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr.. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Arm length concerns surrounding Miami DE Rueben Bain Jr. may work in Cowboys' favor during 2026 NFL Draft

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Apr 8, 2026 3:32 PM ET

Perhaps the Dallas Cowboys won't have to trade up in the 2026 NFL Draft (scheduled April 23-25 in Pittsburgh) to land a top pass-rusher.

The stock of Miami Hurricanes defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. (6-foot-2, 263 pounds) may be dipping before the draft because of lingering concerns over his arm length. Bain's arms measured at 30 7/8 inches at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, below average for an NFL edge-rusher (33 1/2 inches). Former Ohio State Buckeyes DE Nate Williams has had the shortest arm measurements (30 5/8 inches) at the combine since 1999. He went undrafted and never played a regular-season game in the NFL.

NFL executive discusses Rueben Bain Jr.'s arms

"It's not nothing," an executive with a top-10 pick in the draft told ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler for a story published Wednesday.

"It's in between," the executive continued. "The kid's played his entire life that way and been pretty successful. But I think it will pose a challenge. He's found a way to work around it, leaving the blockers behind and using his squattiness to his advantage. But you use your hands and arms on every play, trying to control the blocker who's trying to control you, reaching and running 60 times a game. It's an imperfect science, and you can't say he can't play football because he can. But he will have some issues."

That sentiment may be shared among teams picking in the top 10 of the draft. ESPN's Matt Miller predicted Tuesday on X that Bain will fall outside that range.

Rueben Bain outside top 10
Jordyn Tyson outside top 20 (reported this last week)
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) April 7, 2026

Should the Cowboys jump at the chance to take Rueben Bain Jr.?

The Cowboys own picks No. 12 and No. 20 in the draft. Bain may be available at the first slot if this scenario plays out.

Dallas could use the pick on a corner to fortify its secondary. The defensive line room is looking a little crowded with defensive tackles Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams and defensive end Rashan Gary. The team is moving from a base 4-3 defense to a 3-4 next season, further complicating Bain's fit.

But adding a player with Bain's talent could be too good for the Cowboys to pass up. Pro Football Focus credited him with the most pressures (83) among edge-rushers in 2025, and he tied for the eighth-most stops (37). Stops are tackles in certain situations that count as wins for the defense, such as stopping a runner short of the line to gain on fourth down.

Dallas could also consider trading up to acquire Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker David Bailey (6-foot-4, 251 pounds) or Ohio State LB Arvell Reese (6-foot-4, 241 pounds). Dallas, though, may want to stand pat to avoid giving up too much.

The Cowboys are still seeking that player who can replace Micah Parsons, whom they dealt to the Green Bay Packers last season. The aforementioned edge-rushers meet that criterion.

Speaking of Parsons, his arms are 31.5 inches, close to the length of Bain's. With that in mind, all this chatter about the DE may be a bunch of fuss.

This trait shouldn't be the only benchmark for determining whether someone's a promising edge-rusher. Bain clearly is, and the Cowboys should pounce at the chance to add him if they can.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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