Over the past few years, pretty much every sport around the world has become inundated with so many new statistics and measurements that fans really don't know which ones are important vs. which are not. Especially when it comes to evaluating prospects in the NFL, as things like arm length and hand size have become more notably utilized in recent years on a broader scale, especially with the combine becoming more and more important in the eyes of teams. A name in this year's class who could be harmed by that is Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., who has an arm length that puts him near the bottom of modern players at his position.
Over the years, the New Orleans Saints have been a team that has seemingly coveted these types of measurements and tests in their trench selections.However, general manager Mickey Loomis made it clear recently that, so long as a player has a positive that counteracts the negative, they can be willing to overlook it. Asked Saints GM Mickey Loomis about arm length and how it impacts their grades for defensive linemen (Rueben Bain in play for New Orleans at No. 8):“How the guy plays overrides everything. I think this - we have a lot of data on what plays in the NFL.
Not exclusive to the…— Jon Sokoloff (@JonSokoloff) April 22, 2026This is a fascinating notion, but one that seems to be common sense, frankly. If a player is so good production-wise that you can overlook measurements, odds are most teams will feel a similar way. While Bain was never a player with exceptional sack production, he did generate pressure at a high rate and has solid run defense to add to his resume.
With the Saints picking at No. 8 in this class, Bain has come up as a potential option many times recently, especially with Cameron Jordan having not re-signed as of yet. It will be up to Loomis and his team of scouts to determine whether or not Bain should be someone they select or pass on. This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Saints GM Mickey Loomis on measurables value, outliers