Buccaneers draft Rueben Bain Jr., who has short arms, but does that matter?

Buccaneers draft Rueben Bain Jr., who has short arms, but does that matter? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Rueben Bain Jr. has short arms.

That may be why he slid to the No. 15 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took him in the first round on Thursday night.

So does this matter?

Bain was a college star for the Miami Hurricanes in a run to the national championship game.

The Bucs think it can translate to the NFL.

But will his arms hold him back?

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Do Rueben Bain Jr.'s short arms matter?

That's the big question.

He's listed with 30.875-inch arms.

It's the third-shortest arm length ever measured at the NFL Combine.

The only two players with shorter arms are a potential later-round pick this year, Cashius Howell, and Nate Williams, a former NFL player who never made much of an impact.

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