Evaluating the Merits and Concerns with Drafting Rueben Bain Jr.

There was some interesting news coming out of the scouting combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday morning, most of it dealing with players announcing they wouldn't be doing on-field work but also with some players with eye-opening official measurements.

And none of those measurements caused more chatter than those involving University of Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr.

Per NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, Bain was measured at 6022 (6-2), 263 pounds, with 9 1/8-inch hands, 30 7/8-inch arms and a 77 1/2-inch wing span.

What stands out here is the arm length, which is severely underwhelming — and that's putting it mildly.

On talent alone, Bain is a slam-dunk top 5 pick. Those measurables alone might be enough to put him out of the top 10.

Here's the NFL Scouting Combine arm length measurement for the top 10 sack producers in the 2025 season, for comparison. pic.twitter.com/sWJwHDTtNZ
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) February 26, 2026

And remember who's picking at 11 ... yes, the Miami Dolphins.

And this begs the question of whether the Dolphins should jump at the chance to get Bain if he ends up being available at number 11.

WHY THE DOLPHINS SHOULD BE ALL OVER BAIN

Long arms or not, Bain was a dominant player in college football.

In the playoffs this past season, he was a factor in all of UM's games, including its national title loss against Indiana.

There was one play in particular that stood out, the one where he was fighting a block from an offensive lineman with one arm and tackling the running back with the other.

Bain also provided consistent pressure on Fernando Mendoza, as he did earlier against Trinidad Chambliss of Mississippi and Julian Sayin of Ohio State.

It's not like the Dolphins haven't struck gold before with a prospect who didn't have NFL-type dimensions because Zach Thomas ended up being a stud from day one on his way to the Hall of Fame.

Let's also remember that Aaron Donald didn't have prototypical dimensions for an NFL defensive tackle when he entered the NFL in 2014 and we can all agree he worked out all right for the Rams as the 13th overall pick.

For those who don't remember, this was Donald's NFL.com draft overview: "Short, scrappy, instinctive, highly productive defensive lineman who does not look the part, but inspires confidence he can be an exception to the rule. Is the type you root for and has the quickness, athleticism and motor to earn a spot as a rotational three-technique in a fast-flowing 4-3 scheme."

Bain isn't anywhere near the athlete Donald was, but you get the gist. He's just a tremendous football player.

And he very well might become a great NFL player, long arms or not.

WHY THE DOLPHINS SHOULD AVOID BAIN

Some Dolphins fans are going to be quick to point to Zach Thomas as the reason they want the team to select Bain because he also didn't have NFL dimensions but was a stud from day one on his way to the Hall of Fame.

But Thomas was a fifth-round pick, not a first-rounder, not the 11th overall selection.

The Dolphins are in full rebuilding mode and need to build up a strong supply of talented young players on rookie contracts.

They simply cannot afford to miss on a top 15 pick.

Obviously, no team ever wants to miss, but the damage done can vary depending on the state of the organization and the Dolphins are in a fragile spot.

They're quite frankly not in a position to take a gamble on a potentially high-end prospect with some risk involved.

It should apply to players with significant injury concerns — looking here at Tennessee CB Jermon McCoy or Arizona State WR Jordyn Tyson — and players who would need to defy certain dimension standards.

At 264, Bain clearly is too light to play in the interior of the defensive line and his arm length and wing span make something of a gamble as a defensive end.

He's not a slam dunk, in other words.

The Dolphins need more sure things. They need to maybe given a little bit of ceiling potential on prospects for a higher floor.

Watching Bain at UM, it's easy to want to bring him aboard and let him continue to wreck havoc at Hard Rock Stadium. But there is risk there and it says here the Dolphins should steer clear.