Hand Size - The Hidden Attribute
By Hunter Ansley
Hunter is a freelance writer who has been published by ESPN the Magazine. He runs Draft Zoo.com
Send Hunter an e-mail here: draftzoo@gmail.com
All other e-mail, including advertising and link proposals, send to: wpc112@gmail.com
2009 NFL Draft Prospects with Small Hands
Scouts pour over so much tape that they've practically invented new categories on which to judge NFL Draft prospects. There's the weird cat or dog question that has become the flagship of combine interview oddities. Then there's the absurdity of bringing in a shrink to quiz a 21-year-old about his parents' divorce. These guys know no bounds.
But the one obscure category that actually seems to matter is hand size. Sure, Alex Smith's struggles have shed a little light on this attribute, but every year it seems to be ignored in the face of a quick 40 or a resume of eye-popping stats. So, before the draft hits in less than two weeks (man, I can't wait), let's take a look at one guy from each skill position with hands so small he'd have Austin Powers running for the door.
Nate Davis, QB, Ball State, 9 3/8-inch hands
Nate Davis has taken a lot of heat this offseason. Most of it has come because of his well-documented learning disability. Well, actually the fact that he has one has been well-documented, though no one seems to know exactly what it is. Either way, there's more than just one reason to doubt Davis' chances at the next level, and it doesn't take a genius to figure them out.
First there's that spread offense that he quarterbacked. There hasn't been a bigger detriment to college passers since the Heisman Trophy. The list of guys who failed to feel out a pro system after taking shotguns snaps on campus is long and distinguished (insert anatomical joke here).
But perhaps no one has been labeled a system player more so than former top pick Alex Smith. Both are products of the spread at schools that had record seasons before they bolted for the NFL. And the really scary part? Smith and Davis have the exact same hand size. That's right, the biggest knock on Smith's game is the fact that he and Davis could share Isotoners. I don't know if Davis is a really big Michael Jackson fan, or if he just likes being different, but he plays with gloves on, all the time ignoring the laces on the football. Maybe it's an optical illusion to make his hands appear larger, or maybe he just has poor circulation, but it's weird.
Sure, Davis' hands are the biggest on this list, but they're a good deal smaller than NFL types would like, and there's not much room for an added negative when scouts are already worried about your ability to learn the playbook. I'm just worried that he might not be able to grip it.
Cedric Peerman, RB, Virginia, 8-inch hands
Peerman has become the pet project of more than a few NFL GMs. He had a hell of a combine, and a lot of scouts came away very impressed with his unofficial 4.34 40. But the fact that the guy would have a hard time wrapping his hand around one of those stopwatches is cause for concern.
It's tough to figure out why Peerman only broke off four runs of 20-plus yards last year with timed speed like that. Until you turn on the tape. Peerman has a strange hitch in his step when coming out of his stance which prevents him from hitting the hole as quickly as he should, so he gets bottled up near the line of scrimmage all too often.
What does this have to do with hand size you ask? In the NFL, linebackers are a different breed. They're bigger, faster, and definitely smarter, at least on the field. These guys are taught to rip the ball away from the back on every play. And where are there more players than near the line of scrimmage?
Peerman's tendency to get stuck in traffic means that there will be a lot of arms scraping at the ball, and with small mitts he'll have a tougher time hanging on to the rock. It's not an easy thing for any running back to do, but combine Peerman's hand size with the fact that he has trouble getting into the open, and you could be looking at a fumbling machine. At the very least, he'll be self conscious about high-fiving larger teammates if he does find the endzone.
Jarrett Dillard, WR, Rice, 8.5-inch hands
This may be a stretch, and if his hands weren't notably smaller than most, he wouldn't have made the list. Dillard had no problems catching the ball in college. Over the last three years, he's grabbed at least 79 passes and amassed 55 receiving touchdowns. The guy who did the original modeling for those foam fingers would have a hard time competing with that. So, is this even a problem?
Well, yes and no. How's that for ambiguity? At Rice, Dillard often lined up outside and ran routes that put him in position to catch the ball without being lit up. Of course, at the next level, Dillard projects as a slot guy due to his size and top-notch route running. There's a difference between running free down the sidelines and heading over the middle with an NFL safety bearing down. Dillard's hand size will make it difficult to hold on after taking a shot from a LaRon Landry or Troy Polamalu. Sure, it won't be impossible, and I'm actually a big fan of Dillard's because he gets such great separation with precise cuts, but it wouldn't hurt to have longer fingers.
Of course, a quick glance at the top receivers in this class is proof enough that this trait isn't everything, even though there is often a direct correlation between hand size and drops. Guys like Kenny Britt and Darrius Heyward-Bey have only nine-inch hands. Even Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin are on the small size at 9.25 inches. So maybe this class can reverse the trend. They certainly didn't struggle with it in college.
Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin, 9-inch hands
Poor Travis, he's been on the wrong end of both of my last two articles. I don't have anything against him personally, but if for some reason Beckum decides to flip me the bird, I'll understand. Besides, the joke's on him. With those tiny fingers, I won't be able to tell.
Anyway, this is pretty much the same situation as the receivers. Of course, tight ends spend a lot of time on underneath routes working against linebackers that would like nothing better than to splatter them all over the field. So the chance of landing on the wrong end of a tibula-snapping hit is slightly larger - unlike Beckum's hands which will have a more difficult time of securing the ball.
The added disadvantage of playing this position with demure digits actually comes on plays when Beckum has no chance of getting a pass. Blocking may not be as big a part of lining up at tight end as it used to be, but having an accomplished mauler is a huge bonus for offensive coaches. Large palms provide a better area for blockers to maneuver defenders and gain control over their opponent. Guys with hands like Beckum's often get caught grabbing jerseys resulting in costly penalties.
The bottom line here is that when it comes to winning the battle in the trenches, it's better to have someone like "man hands" from Seinfeld than a Travis Beckum 9-incher. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
2012 Fantasy Football Rankings - May 24
2013 NFL Mock Draft - May 22
Charlie's 2013 NFL Mock Draft - May 21
2012 NBA Mock Draft - May 19
2013 NBA Mock Draft - May 7
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© 1999-2011 Walter Cherepinsky : all rights reserved
Privacy Policy
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Hunter is a freelance writer who has been published by ESPN the Magazine. He runs Draft Zoo.com
Send Hunter an e-mail here: draftzoo@gmail.com
All other e-mail, including advertising and link proposals, send to: wpc112@gmail.com
2009 NFL Draft Prospects with Small Hands
Scouts pour over so much tape that they've practically invented new categories on which to judge NFL Draft prospects. There's the weird cat or dog question that has become the flagship of combine interview oddities. Then there's the absurdity of bringing in a shrink to quiz a 21-year-old about his parents' divorce. These guys know no bounds.
But the one obscure category that actually seems to matter is hand size. Sure, Alex Smith's struggles have shed a little light on this attribute, but every year it seems to be ignored in the face of a quick 40 or a resume of eye-popping stats. So, before the draft hits in less than two weeks (man, I can't wait), let's take a look at one guy from each skill position with hands so small he'd have Austin Powers running for the door.
Nate Davis, QB, Ball State, 9 3/8-inch hands
Nate Davis has taken a lot of heat this offseason. Most of it has come because of his well-documented learning disability. Well, actually the fact that he has one has been well-documented, though no one seems to know exactly what it is. Either way, there's more than just one reason to doubt Davis' chances at the next level, and it doesn't take a genius to figure them out.
First there's that spread offense that he quarterbacked. There hasn't been a bigger detriment to college passers since the Heisman Trophy. The list of guys who failed to feel out a pro system after taking shotguns snaps on campus is long and distinguished (insert anatomical joke here).
But perhaps no one has been labeled a system player more so than former top pick Alex Smith. Both are products of the spread at schools that had record seasons before they bolted for the NFL. And the really scary part? Smith and Davis have the exact same hand size. That's right, the biggest knock on Smith's game is the fact that he and Davis could share Isotoners. I don't know if Davis is a really big Michael Jackson fan, or if he just likes being different, but he plays with gloves on, all the time ignoring the laces on the football. Maybe it's an optical illusion to make his hands appear larger, or maybe he just has poor circulation, but it's weird.
Sure, Davis' hands are the biggest on this list, but they're a good deal smaller than NFL types would like, and there's not much room for an added negative when scouts are already worried about your ability to learn the playbook. I'm just worried that he might not be able to grip it.
Cedric Peerman, RB, Virginia, 8-inch hands
Peerman has become the pet project of more than a few NFL GMs. He had a hell of a combine, and a lot of scouts came away very impressed with his unofficial 4.34 40. But the fact that the guy would have a hard time wrapping his hand around one of those stopwatches is cause for concern.
It's tough to figure out why Peerman only broke off four runs of 20-plus yards last year with timed speed like that. Until you turn on the tape. Peerman has a strange hitch in his step when coming out of his stance which prevents him from hitting the hole as quickly as he should, so he gets bottled up near the line of scrimmage all too often.
What does this have to do with hand size you ask? In the NFL, linebackers are a different breed. They're bigger, faster, and definitely smarter, at least on the field. These guys are taught to rip the ball away from the back on every play. And where are there more players than near the line of scrimmage?
Peerman's tendency to get stuck in traffic means that there will be a lot of arms scraping at the ball, and with small mitts he'll have a tougher time hanging on to the rock. It's not an easy thing for any running back to do, but combine Peerman's hand size with the fact that he has trouble getting into the open, and you could be looking at a fumbling machine. At the very least, he'll be self conscious about high-fiving larger teammates if he does find the endzone.
Jarrett Dillard, WR, Rice, 8.5-inch hands
This may be a stretch, and if his hands weren't notably smaller than most, he wouldn't have made the list. Dillard had no problems catching the ball in college. Over the last three years, he's grabbed at least 79 passes and amassed 55 receiving touchdowns. The guy who did the original modeling for those foam fingers would have a hard time competing with that. So, is this even a problem?
Well, yes and no. How's that for ambiguity? At Rice, Dillard often lined up outside and ran routes that put him in position to catch the ball without being lit up. Of course, at the next level, Dillard projects as a slot guy due to his size and top-notch route running. There's a difference between running free down the sidelines and heading over the middle with an NFL safety bearing down. Dillard's hand size will make it difficult to hold on after taking a shot from a LaRon Landry or Troy Polamalu. Sure, it won't be impossible, and I'm actually a big fan of Dillard's because he gets such great separation with precise cuts, but it wouldn't hurt to have longer fingers.
Of course, a quick glance at the top receivers in this class is proof enough that this trait isn't everything, even though there is often a direct correlation between hand size and drops. Guys like Kenny Britt and Darrius Heyward-Bey have only nine-inch hands. Even Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin are on the small size at 9.25 inches. So maybe this class can reverse the trend. They certainly didn't struggle with it in college.
Travis Beckum, TE, Wisconsin, 9-inch hands
Poor Travis, he's been on the wrong end of both of my last two articles. I don't have anything against him personally, but if for some reason Beckum decides to flip me the bird, I'll understand. Besides, the joke's on him. With those tiny fingers, I won't be able to tell.
Anyway, this is pretty much the same situation as the receivers. Of course, tight ends spend a lot of time on underneath routes working against linebackers that would like nothing better than to splatter them all over the field. So the chance of landing on the wrong end of a tibula-snapping hit is slightly larger - unlike Beckum's hands which will have a more difficult time of securing the ball.
The added disadvantage of playing this position with demure digits actually comes on plays when Beckum has no chance of getting a pass. Blocking may not be as big a part of lining up at tight end as it used to be, but having an accomplished mauler is a huge bonus for offensive coaches. Large palms provide a better area for blockers to maneuver defenders and gain control over their opponent. Guys with hands like Beckum's often get caught grabbing jerseys resulting in costly penalties.
The bottom line here is that when it comes to winning the battle in the trenches, it's better to have someone like "man hands" from Seinfeld than a Travis Beckum 9-incher. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
2012 Fantasy Football Rankings - May 24
2013 NFL Mock Draft - May 22
Charlie's 2013 NFL Mock Draft - May 21
2012 NBA Mock Draft - May 19
2013 NBA Mock Draft - May 7
© 1999-2011 Walter Cherepinsky : all rights reserved
Privacy Policy
2 5 9