Cowboys could benefit from combine's biggest disappointments dropping

· Yahoo Sports

The 2026 NFL scouting combine saw rise to many draft prospects this year. Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles posted a perfect relative athletic score (RAS) of 10.0, nearly ensuring his selection in the top 10 next month, and likely eliminating him from realistic contention as a Dallas Cowboys’ possibility at No. 12.

Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers impressed with his performance in drills and measurements, posting a 9.46 RAS score and pushing for TE2 status in his draft class. And Georgia offensive tackle Monroe Freeling posted a near perfect RAS of 9.99, pushing himself into the conversation at the top of his position group as well.

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Testing at the combine also worked against some players this year. Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald was clunky in just about every drill run, severely impacting his stock in April’s draft and possibly dropping multiple rounds as a result. Miami defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. tested with 30 7/8-inch arms, marking one of the shortest arm measurements among DEs in combine history. Cashius Howell joined Bain in the T-Rex designation, measuring even shorter in his upper body appendages, causing some to question his potential effectiveness at the next level.

While elite testing for someone like Styles works against the Cowboys’ best interest because his RAS pushes him too far up the board, players like Bain and Howell now stand a realistic chance of falling to the Cowboys’ pick locations of 12 and 20 respectively.

Short arms aren’t ideal on defensive end prospects.

Arms are generally an important measurement for pass-rushers because they represent one of the main lines of defense against toolsy offensive tackles. Pass protectors who win the reach battle can lock on and neutralize would-be pass rushers with relative ease. Short arms on a pass rusher invites this disadvantage.

At the same time Bain and Howell each represent two of the best pass-rushing talents in the class. Given their extremely poor arm measurements it’s likely they were losers of the arm length battles throughout their college careers, yet they still found a way to succeed. It’s a true battle of film vs projection with these two prospects.

The poor measurements will very likely knock Bain and Howell down some teams’ draft boards this spring. Even though both rushers' film showed arm length has not been an issue, measurements like this are about projection to the next level.

Will McClay recently explained, “traits can get you in trouble” when discussing athletic testing, yet he himself is known to set preferred thresholds at various positions. It's difficult to tell where he stands on this specific issue. In data collected between 2011 and 2023, the shortest armed pass rusher the Cowboys have drafted checked in at 32.1 inches. Short isn't a gamble Dallas usually makes, yet, pass rushers of this quality rarely fall into their laps.

Bain, No 2. overall on Pro Football Focus’ draft board, rated as the top edge rusher of his class across multiple draft platforms. Even in the pre-combine days it was clear arm length was a negative factor for him, but Bain’s style of play overcame that deficiency since he rarely squares up chest-to-chest against opposing blockers and uses angles, athleticism, and fundamentals to win battles on the edge.

Even still, the standout traits of Arvell Reese, David Bailey and Styles could be enough to bump Bain from the top of the elite hierarchy to the bottom, paving the way for his availability outside the top 10. This outcome could work wonderfully in the Cowboys’ favor.

Prior to the NFL combine, Howell was projected to go inside the top 20. Just a week ago he only had a 35% chance of falling to Dallas at 20. After measuring so short he’s likely to fall considerably if for no other reason than added risk. If the Cowboys can’t get Bain at 12, they stand a good chance of snagging Howell at 20.

The Cowboys are in need of a plug-and-play pass rusher this draft cycle. Aside from James Houston and Donovan Ezeiruaku, who’s recovering from hip surgery, the Cowboys’ cupboards are bare on the edge. Both Bain and Howell have double-digit sack potential and, according to scout Lance Zierlein, seem like good fits as edge rushers (OLBs) in 3-4 schemes.

Sometimes bad testing can be a good thing, and when looking at the Bain and Howell situations, it could be a very good thing…for the Cowboys.

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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Draft (mis)fortune: Cowboys may benefit from Bain, Howell bad combines

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