For the Dallas Cowboys to have an ideal 2026 NFL Draft, getting a defender that truly moves the needle at No. 12 overall is crucial.

That is looking like a tall task as the stock of most defensive prospects continues to rise. But there is one player’s stock which is up and down depending on who you ask: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. from Miami.

And he could end up being on the board when the Cowboys go on the clock at No. 12 overall.

The NFL may be about to make a mistake with Rueben Bain Jr.

Early in the year, Bain Jr. was consistently mocked near the Top 5-7 of most mock drafts you read. But after his arms were measured at 30 7/8 inches, he appears a much more realistic option for the Cowboys at No. 12. For context, that measurement puts him in the 1th percentile among NFL EDGE rushers. So yeah, pretty short arms.

That alone may cause him to fall come draft day. If so, it will be a mistake from NFL teams.

In football scouting, arm length is traditionally considered important for edge rushers and offensive tackles as they’re always fighting for space. Having longer arms, in theory, makes it easier to win in the trenches because you can beat your opponent to the punch.

However, many analysts debate how much this really matters.

Bain Jr. won against long-arm offensive tackles in college thanks to a combination of size, speed, power, and technique. The film shows him overcoming his arm length over and over again. That’s not by coincidence. He plays with relentless effort against the run and has worked at his craft when it comes to rushing the passer.

Consider what our own draft expert AJ Schulte wrote about Bain Jr. in his scouting report: “I’ve been scouting now since the 2014 NFL Draft, and there are very, very few prospects whose overall box of pass rush moves were as deep coming out as Bain.”

Recently, Bain Jr. was described by ESPN’s Matt Miller as the “ideal” first-round pick for the Cowboys.

“Dallas signed Sam Williams to a one-year deal and traded for Rashan Gary, but this is still a roster that needs another speed rusher,” Miller wrote. “Bain would bring exactly that, as well as power to the position.”

More on Bain Jr.

For more on Rueben Bain Jr., I reached out to our own Craig Smith from A to Z Sports Miami, who provided more encouraging insight on the potential Cowboys’ draft target.

Smith: “Rueben Bain, Jr. was a force of nature in college football last season, and the proof was in the pudding against the best of what college football had to offer. He had a dominant performance in the season opener against Notre Dame and carried it all the way through the College Football Playoff. Against Texas A&M and Ohio State, he had 16 pressures and four sacks. He finished the year with 83 pressures per Pro Football Focus, more than Texas Tech’s David Bailey (81) and more than double that of Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell (41).

“While Bain’s arm length has been greatly questioned by some, as he measured under 31 inches at the NFL Combine, his motor and strength are off the charts, and his bend was on full display at Miami’s Pro Day this week. Bain’s psychological fuel was also well documented. He kept track of slights from opposing players and used them as motivation, as he did with Texas A&M OL Trey Zuhn III, who said of Bain, ‘I don’t think he’ll be a threat that we need to worry about too much.’

“Simply put, Bain’s arm length is overhyped. He’s a dominant force off the edge who can also play inside and will make some team very happy come this fall.”

Maybe, that happy team is the Cowboys when it’s all said and done.

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