When football fans imagine an NFL defensive lineman, it’s a massive, hulking player that is somehow cut like a Greek God and moves faster than 95% of human beings with their combination of height and weight.
Offensive linemen are rare athletes in their own respect, but there’s another level of special, all-encompassing athleticism needed to be a top defensive lineman. Quick-twitch muscles are needed to fire off the ball, upper-body and core strength help get off blocks, lower-body power is necessary to maintain positioning on the line of scrimmage and flexibility is almost a prerequisite for all pass rushers.
Again, all this is packaged in a player big enough to collide with 320-pound blockers on each snap. It feels like the NFL, and the Kansas City Chiefs, will prioritize long-limbed defensive linemen when building the trenches. The longer and more athletic a defensive lineman is — regardless of on-field production — the more likely an NFL team will invest significant capital.
That’s what makes the 2026 NFL Draft’s defensive line class so interesting.
On Thursday, the defensive linemen attending the NFL Scouting Combine were measured to piece together a physical profile. Two edge-rushing prospects — both ranked within the top 21 players on The Athletic’s consensus big board — made headlines with historic results. Rueben Bain Jr. from Miami and Cashius Howell from Texas A&M each registered arm length shorter than 31 inches.
Each would be the shortest-armed defensive lineman picked on Day 1 since 1999, which speaks to the lack of precedent. In the Mockdraftable database, there are only three “edge rushers” who had arms shorter than the 31-inch benchmark:
- Nate Williams, Ohio State, Class of 2013
- Sutton Smith, Northern Illinois, Class of 2019
- Tyree Johnson, Texas A&M, Class of 2022
There are zero career sacks in the NFL between these three players. Smith, a sixth-round pick, was the only one to see regular-season action — and registered just one tackle over eight games.
Among edge defenders with up to 31-1/2 inch arms, the success stories are former Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Carl Lawson (32 career sacks) and Missouri alum, former Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Markus Golden (51 career sacks). Current Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Dean Lowry (16.5 sacks) has sustained an NFL role over nine seasons after recording 31-inch arms at the 2016 Combine.
The list is taken all the way up to 32 inches, and the list remains thin on names of note — although Chiefs’ defensive end Ashton Gillotte did record 31 7/8-inch arms last year — but the impact players begin popping up after that. Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, Denver Broncos outside linebacker Jonathan Cooper and Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson all come up before looking past 32 1/8 inches.
That’s exactly why the arm length of Bain and Howell — a graduate of Rockhurst High School in Kansas City — has become a hot topic. With so many years of data to understand what to look for in draft prospects, the outliers tend to feel like riskier picks, regardless of college production.
After 7.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss as a true freshman at Miami, Bain’s career statistics over three seasons totaled 20.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss. He stood out during the College Football Playoff as one of the most impactful, disruptive defenders on the field in any game.
In 2025, Howell earned All-American honors and the award for SEC Defensive Player of the Year by earning 11.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss, along with six defended passes. Over his final three collegiate seasons — one being at Bowling Green — Howell accumulated 24 sacks and 33 tackles for loss with 14 passes defended.
Production is a vital factor in a successful transition from college pass rush to the NFL. The recent exceptions have been Los Angeles Chargers’ outside linebacker Odafe Oweh — who infamously registered zero sacks during his final season at Penn State — and Danielle Hunter, an All-Pro edge rusher for the Houston Texans who had just 4.5 career sacks at LSU.
So Bain and Howell will be fascinating data points in the history of the draft process. Each has the production profile to back up Day 1 hype, but the arm-length concerns could be loud enough to relatively hurt the draft stock of both players.
In Bain’s case, it could diminish the feeling he is a lock for the top 10 — but the level of dominance Bain has had over opposing offensive linemen is hard to overlook. He has incredibly powerful hands that overwhelm blockers regardless of who engages first. At 6 feet 2 inches tall and 263 pounds measured, he has a unique stature that naturally gives him advantageous pad level and leverage against the typical offensive tackle.
The powerful profile of Bain may allow him to overcome the lack of length, but Howell has succeeded with speed moreso than power. At the Combine, he measured at 6 feet 2.5 inches tall and 253 pounds. Howell will need to show off in the athletic testing to maintain the high-profile status he had entering the week.
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