Combine Update: Riley Reiff’s Arms Are Apparently An Issue

I’m going to say right up front that I’m not an expert on men’s arms. In the matter of Riley Reiff’s upper extremity deficiencies, I will have to defer to others who have studied the subject more closely. All I know is that, according to people who are up on such things, Riley Reiff has short arms for a left tackle. At the combine, Reiff’s arms were measured to be 33 1/4 inches. Is that an average or are the arms exactly the same length? I think I read somewhere that everyone has one arm longer than the other. I don’t know why that’s important, I’m just throwing it out there.

From what I’ve been able to glean through a cursory look around the internet, there’s some disagreement about the significance of Reiff’s arm measurement. Some suggest the short arms could get Reiff downgraded on draft boards to a right tackle prospect or even (gasp) a guard. Others insist that the arm thing doesn’t matter a lick and point to Joe Thomas as an example of a left tackle who has done exceptionally well despite being part T-Rex.

So maybe the arm length issue isn’t really an issue at all. Maybe it’s just a made-up issue created by people who are trying to manufacture news stories out of meaningless crap happening at the great sucking black hole known as the combine? Well the arm length isn’t the only thing dogging Riley Reiff at the combine. It turns out he also posted a 23 in the bench press which is considered low.

I can live with a man having short arms, but when his short arms are also so girlishly weak that he can only lift a heavily weighted bar 23 times in a row while lying down? Sorry but I’m off that train. I wouldn’t let Riley Reiff wash my car, much less block for my quarterback.

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