Senior Bowl news

[bennyl08]

The weigh ins have happened.

Brandon Allen: 6'1.4", 212 pounds, hands listed as 848, so I'm guessing that is 8 1/2" hands? (NFL.com article mentions Hogan having 10 1/8 hands and that is listed as 1018 fwiw, but why 4/8ths instead of 812 or something?) Arm 30.5", wingspan, 74 3/8ths

We had him listed as 6'2" 210.

Will he suffer similar fate to Tyler Wilson? What is it with Arkansas and having small handed qbs?

Sebastian Tretola: 6'4.2" 317 pounds. 10" hands, 30.5: arms, 75" wingspan
Our listing 6'5 334, However, it is talked about him trimming down some more and considering 2 years ago he was 370, that makes sense. Though, perhaps we weren't the biggest OL after all?

Jonathan Williams: 5'10.7" 219 10" hands, 30.75" arms, and 76 7/8" wingspan.
We list him 6' 223. So, he is significantly shorter than we list by about an inch. However, he's got some orangutan arms going on.

[Craig O Squeal]

An inch is significant? (I'm just going to leave that here for interpretation! )

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

not great news for him. But what he can still do is play well infront of NFL scouts for a full week in practice

[dacskc]

Didnt NFL.com stream untelevised practices last year? The South is supposed to practice today at 1:15, but I'm not finding any coverage. Anyone remember watching it last year? I may be totally wrong or have it confused with combine coverage or something.

[hogfan14]

BA interview:

https://twitter.com/ESPNPensacola/status/692062100798230528

[Hogsolo]

Do those measurements hurt Tretola?  His arms and wingspan are about J Will's?   

I know the NFL likes long arms on the OL

[bennyl08]

Do those measurements hurt Tretola?  His arms and wingspan are about J Will's?   

I know the NFL likes long arms on the OL

That is more important for a tackle than a guard. Proper proportions have your wingspan equal to your height. Tretola is one inch lower. Allen is a bit long in the arms, and 5'11 JWill has the armspan of somebody who is 6'5.

[VirginiaHog]

Being a guard its not as bad as tackles.

[flippinhogmana]

good interview.

[VirginiaHog]

Not sure how to inbed tweets, but Eric Galko says Jwill is arguably the best rb there. He is with Optimum Scouting.

[ricepig]

Didnt NFL.com stream untelevised practices last year? The South is supposed to practice today at 1:15, but I'm not finding any coverage. Anyone remember watching it last year? I may be totally wrong or have it confused with combine coverage or something.

http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/trio-begins-senior-bowl-week/

[BornaHog]

Good news for Brandon Allen!   Check out this scouting services' report on today's pratice.

https://twitter.com/OptimumScouting

[hawginbigd1]

https://twitter.com/OptimumScouting/status/692090187598422016

[hawginbigd1]

https://twitter.com/OptimumScouting/status/692077403397607424

[Jackrabbit Hog]

I wasn't aware that Brandon's mother changed her name to "Eric Galko."






I kid.  I kid.

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

BA balled out today. Hands thing however is a big issue for a lot of teams

[hawgmasta]

BA balled out today. Hands thing however is a big issue for a lot of teams

He is getting a lot of positive feedback but as you said hands are important to NFL coaches/GMs. We know Tyler went in the fourth with hands the same size though; and from what I've heard, obviously I don't know for a fact, but it's said Brandon is a very cerebral guy and will do well at picking up playbooks and reading a defense. As long as you have a decent arm being a smart QB is the most important trait.

Look at guys like Ryan Fitzpatrick; isn't known for dominating anything physically but has a good (not great) arm and is extremely intelligent.

[Uncommon]

Not sure if serious?

Of course not.  I was outraged he was originally not on the Senior Bowl roster considering who the quarterbacks were for the South team.

[bennyl08]

http://www.draftindy.com/?p=1024

A pretty nice writeup about JWill, a guy who has gone pretty unnoticed by many in relation to the NFL since his injury. However, with the Senior Bowl and the combine, somebody is going to get a steal.

[IronHog]

Tyler Wilson didn't fail in NFL due to arm or hand size.


It was all the thinking part.

[KennyForAD]

https://twitter.com/OptimumScouting/status/692077403397607424

Yep.  He throws a perfect ball.  Tried to tell some folks here that a little while back...

[hoglady]

Didn't realize BA had small hands.
The guy tweeting info in an earlier tweet said BA would automatically be taken off some teams boards due to the hand size.
But I believe he's got the smarts to overcome that.

[Hogarusa]

It must be a real crappy feeling to know that teams wont draft you due to the size of your hand

[greenEGnHAWGS]

Good to see BA getting some momentum heading into the draft. But it's crazy to me that hands size would play such a large role in drafting a QB.

Anyone know of any NFL QBs that have small hands? Brees? Guy can't have that large of hands, can he?

[onebadrubi]

Good to see BA getting some momentum heading into the draft. But it's crazy to me that hands size would play such a large role in drafting a QB.

Anyone know of any NFL QBs that have small hands? Brees? Guy can't have that large of hands, can he?

I think he actually has freakishly big hands for being a small guy

Edit: he and Russell wilson both have 10.25". BA's size will definitely hurt him.  Small hands have been historically hard to hold on to the ball in bad weather and easier to knock lose when the huddle collapses

[COCHISE]

Sebastian Tretola: 6'4.2" 317 pounds. 10" hands, 30.5: arms, 75" wingspan
Our listing 6'5 334, However, it is talked about him trimming down some more and considering 2 years ago he was 370, that makes sense. Though, perhaps we weren't the biggest OL after all?

Maybe not. But those guys consume an INSANE number of calories during the season to keep their weight up. If he slacked off on that diet since the season ended and continued exercising, losing that kind of weight wouldn't be unheard of.

[murthage]

Yahoo article on importance of height and hand size:

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/exploring-qb-hand-size-075800351--nfl.html

"Small-Handed Quarterbacks Who Excel

There are some quarterbacks with small hands who have bucked the trend to play well in the NFL, too. But as I studied those quarterbacks, it became clear that the majority have one thing in common—mobility. Some of the top small-handed quarterbacks to play in the past decade include Michael Vick (historically small 8.5-inch hands), Colin Kaepernick (9.13 inches), Robert Griffin III (9.5 inches), Daunte Culpepper (9.5 inches), Aaron Rodgers (9.38 inches), and Tony Romo (8.86 inches)."

Note: Tony Romo is 6' 2"

I seems that if you are short with smaller hands, the equalizer is mobility.

[IronHog]

It must be a real crappy feeling to know that teams wont draft you due to the size of your hand

6'2" with 9" hands is a pretty big dude.

Just not in the NFL

[DeltaBoy]

Thanks and Best of Luck to all our Hogs.

[CJ HOG]

SIAP. Nice write-up on BA from the Senior Bowl practices down in Mobile.

Arkansas' Brandon Allen Worth Investing in at the Senior Bowl Despite Hand Size

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2611452-arkansass-brandon-allen-worth-investing-in-at-the-senior-bowl-despite-hand-size

[DeltaBoy]

SIAP. Nice write-up on BA from the Senior Bowl practices down in Mobile.

Arkansas' Brandon Allen Worth Investing in at the Senior Bowl Despite Hand Size

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2611452-arkansass-brandon-allen-worth-investing-in-at-the-senior-bowl-despite-hand-size

That Boy is a GAMER!

[a0ashle]

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/47036/311/exploring-qb-hand-size

Seems relevant, while it does call out pro QBs with small hands (Aaron Rodgers is one) they are almost all over 9". That said...the QBs who excelled with small hands also had mobility, BA has mobility and accuracy on the run.

Edit: Murthage beat me to it.

[swinesation]

I've heard the biggest issue with hand size in the NFL is the ability to quickly fake pump.

[code red]

Weren't snap exchanges a issue for Brandon a couple years ago.  Seems like their were several.....the one that comes to mind is one vs. Texas A&M 2 years ago.

[COCHISE]

You would think watching film of 37 SEC games would quell any fears they might have about hand size and fumbling. If it hasn't been an issue to this point, it's probably not going to develop into one.

[ricepig]

Practice is on ESPNU currently, looks like all of our guys chose the Chrome helmet.

[GoHogs1091]

https://twitter.com/OptimumScouting/status/692090187598422016

D.J. Reader is a solid Defensive Tackle.  He is not flashy, but he is effective.

He is stout, listed on Clemson's Roster as 6'3" 325 lbs.  That is larger than Alabama's NFL Draft DTs, A'Shawn Robinson, listed as 312 lbs. and Jarran Reed, listed as 313 lbs.

Reader should have a good NFL career.  The NFL looks for DTs who are good at winning the point-of-attack, and Reader is difficult for opposing Offensive Linemen to win against at the point-of-attack.

[PorkRinds]

D.J. Reader is a solid Defensive Tackle.  He is not flashy, but he is effective.

He is stout, listed on Clemson's Roster as 6'3" 325 lbs.  That is larger than Alabama's NFL Draft DTs, A'Shawn Robinson, listed as 312 lbs. and Jarran Reed, listed as 313 lbs.

Reader should have a good NFL career.  The NFL looks for DTs who are good at winning the point-of-attack, and Reader is difficult for opposing Offensive Linemen to win against at the point-of-attack.

You're the only one that cares about Clemson players.  The rest of us like that tweet because of BA.

[GoHogs1091]

You're the only one that cares about Clemson players.  The rest of us like that tweet because of BA.

It is cool that BA is on that tweet.  His hand size is a definite problem though.

With games being played in cold weather places such as Buffalo, Green Bay, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh, the hand size of a QB becomes a very looked at aspect by NFL Head Coaches and NFL General Managers.

[ricepig]

I know it isn't game action, but Tretola looks a whole lot faster.

[dacskc]

Sometimes I wonder if these guys tweeting from practice are watching the same thing. A couple are really liking BA, some not so much. Makes you wonder how many of these scouts are only interested in confirming their own suspicions.

[atekido]

large hands play a huge factor in passing.  alot of QB's have the army strength but not the grip to hold the ball well enough to throw it as hard as they can.

[LZH]

large hands play a huge factor in passing.  alot of QB's have the army strength but not the grip to hold the ball well enough to throw it as hard as they can.

There it is.

[bennyl08]

Sometimes I wonder if these guys tweeting from practice are watching the same thing. A couple are really liking BA, some not so much. Makes you wonder how many of these scouts are only interested in confirming their own suspicions.

That, but also there are different priorities. One person may look for how quickly he reads the defense and goes through his progressions, another may care about footwork and throwing mechanics, a third may care mostly about where the accuracy and placement of the ball. I haven't been able to watch the practices myself, and your assessment could be the largest factor, but it is possible that people are judging play off of different aspects and weight the importance of each differently.

[ricepig]

That, but also there are different priorities. One person may look for how quickly he reads the defense and goes through his progressions, another may care about footwork and throwing mechanics, a third may care mostly about where the accuracy and placement of the ball. I haven't been able to watch the practices myself, and your assessment could be the largest factor, but it is possible that people are judging play off of different aspects and weight the importance of each differently.

Or they are tweeting after different plays. What little I watched, none of the South QB's did much.

[hoglady]

large hands play a huge factor in passing.  alot of QB's have the army strength but not the grip to hold the ball well enough to throw it as hard as they can.

Brandon addressed that in an interview. Said playing baseball really helped him with his grip strength and carried over into gripping the football.

[tolle72120]

the age old question does size matter

[oldfart]

I never thought i had particularly big hands (9.5) but at 78 i can still palm a basketball

[bennyl08]

I never thought i had particularly big hands (9.5) but at 78 i can still palm a basketball

Allen's hands are bigger than mine, but not by much and I'm only 5'7". I can't palm a basketball.

[urkillnmesmalls]

large hands play a huge factor in passing.  alot of QB's have the army strength but not the grip to hold the ball well enough to throw it as hard as they can.

I don't recall BA being in the military, but that should also look good on his resume.