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NFL Combine Day 1: Winners & Losers from Weigh-ins, Measurements | QBs, WRs, TEs
The NFL Scouting Combine is finally here.
There are a lot of different takeaways teams will walk away with during this week and it all starts with the measurements. It's only day one and so far, just three position groups have been put under the microscope.
Of those three positions, which includes 90-plus prospects, who were the biggest winners and losers from the weigh-ins and measurements?
Quarterbacks
Winner: Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma
Over the past few weeks, there were a few questions arising as to what Hurts would weigh-in at. The belief is he would drop closer to 210 pounds in order to run a faster 40-yard dash, but coming in at 222 pounds is a good sign for Hurts.
Loser: Kevin Davidson, Princeton
He has the size coming in at 6-foot-4 and 224 pounds, but the reason he hits the loser side of this is the hand size. Davidson coming in with 8-1/4 inch hands, which is well below the 9-1/4 threshold.
Winner: Anthony Gordon, Washington State
Gordon walks away with 9-6/8 inch hands, which is really good for him, but the bigger reason he is a winner is the weight. He comes in at 205, which is a good playing weight for his style of play.
Loser: Jake Fromm, Georgia
Another loser for his hand size. Fromm checked out with 8-7/8-inch hands. Again, 9-1/4-inch hands are often the minimum threshold for teams.
Winner: Kelly Bryant, Missouri
Bryant is another that some thought would come in lighter to test out better athletically. That question was answered with him checking in at 229 pounds.
Loser: Joe Burrow, LSU
This is unlikely to really hurt his stock, and he is still expected to be the first overall pick. However, it does need to be noted that Burrow was below the minimum threshold for many teams in hand size with only 9 inch hands.
Tight Ends
Winner: Stephen Sullivan, LSU
The biggest winner at the tight end position is the receiving tight end with an outstanding wingspan of 85-inch wingspan. Teams are going to find ways to use him at the NFL level and work hard on developing his skill-set.
Loser: Josiah Deguara, Cincinnati
There was a study about hand size and tight ends with smaller hands is typically a sign of being a better blocker, while bigger hands make them better receivers. Deguara is a good blocker and checked in with 9-inch hands. He will need to kill the receiving drills to not have this really hurt his stock.
Winner: Devin Asiasi, UCLA
The talk was he would come in a lot lighter, closer to 240 pounds than 250, but Asiasi checked in at almost 260 pounds and a 80-1/8-inch wingspan.
Loser: Harrison Bryant, Washington
Bryant is one of the better tight ends in the class, but his 74-inch wingspan is going to irk some NFL teams.
Wide Receivers
Winner: Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
A receiver with Aiyuk's skill-set and an 80-inch wingspan is going to draw a lot of attention. The drills will be key, but he is going to garner a lot of attention.
Loser: Quintez Cephus, Wisconsin
Teams have a threshold for receiver hands at 9 inches and Cephus comes in under that at 8-3/4 inches. The interviews are going to be bigger for his stock than his hand size.
Winner: Chase Claypool, Notre Dame
Claypool checked in at 238 pounds and an 80-inch wingspan. This is a major win as his best position in the NFL is at tight end and he seems to be embracing the likely conversion early.
Loser: Lawrence Cager, Georgia
A taller receiver with good weight, but checking in under the hand size threshold for receivers is never good. Cager did just that with 8-7/8-inch hands.
Winner: Devin Duvernay, Texas
At 200 pounds with 9-1/2-inch hands, Duvernay checked off a lot of boxes. He is quickly becoming a forgotten receiver in such a stout class.
Loser: Aaron Fuller, Washington
Fuller was a top-15 receiver at the start of the season, but he dropped the ball too much and his draft stock plummeted. His hands of 8-7/8 inches may be partly to blame.
Winner: Jalen Reagor, TCU
Reagor answered some questions with his measurements. Coming in at 206 pounds is a good weight, and his 31-3/8-inch arms are really good for his size. His bigger test comes with how fast he runs and how well he does in the gauntlet.
Loser: Antonio Gibson, Memphis
Much like many other players on this list, Gibson doesn’t check the hand size box. He is under what teams want with only 8-5/8-inch hands.
Winner: Laviska Shenault, Colorado
Teams have seen success from players like Shenault and his measurements are going to please a lot of teams. At 6-foot flat and 227 pounds, he is well built with good length. He is built like a running back and plays like one at the receiver position.
Loser: K.J. Hill, Ohio State
There is a lack of length from Hill with shorter arms than desired (29-1/8 inches) and a wingspan well below the desired length with only 72-1/2-inch wingspan.
Winner: Henry Ruggs III, Alabama
He has catcher mitts for hands, which explains why he has next-to-no drops during his collegiate career. With 10-1/8-inch hands, he is just working himself to be the first receiver drafted in the top-8.
Loser: Collin Johnson, Texas
Johnson has plenty of height at 6-foot-5-5/8 inches. That is great for the NFL, but his 9-inch hands are going to bother some teams. They are right at the threshold, but for taller receivers, teams want bigger hands.
Winner: John Hightower, Boise State
Hightower is going to bring speed, and teams are concerned with drops and hand size. Well, drops are still a concern, but he checks off the hand size box with 9-6/8-inch hands.
Loser: Malcolm Perry, Navy
Perry is a smaller receiver that is converting from quarterback. Teams have a minimum threshold for hand size with receivers and Perry comes in under that with 8-1/2-inch hands.
Winner: Isaiah Hodgins, Oklahoma State
A major red-zone threat, Hodgins showed why that will be the quickest role to success in the NFL. With 33-1/8-inch arms and an 80-1/2-inch wingspan, he has the length to be dangerous in the red zone.
Loser: Jeff Thomas, Miami
Thomas is a small receiver, but he is smaller than the teams had hoped for. With hope he would come in over 180 pounds, Thomas checked in right at 170.
Loser: Tyler Johnson, Minnesota
This isn’t a measurement reason but is something that came out today after the measurements. Johnson won’t be doing on-field testing and will wait until his pro day to perform. That would be no big deal if he hadn’t pulled out of the Shrine Week to prepare for the Combine, and now he isn’t ready for the Combine.
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