While We’re Waiting… Welcome to Cleveland, Spencer Hawes
February 21, 2014Ray Farmer already speaking like a seasoned General Manager
February 21, 2014
Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel was one of the latest to get poked and prodded at the 2014 NFL Combine, coming in at just a hair under six feet tall. Multiple outlets report his official measurement (which took place early Friday morning) at 5-foot-11-3/4-inches, 207 pounds, drawing instant comparisons to Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who also measures in at 5-foot-11-inches.
Where things shake out positively for Manziel were his hands measurements which came in at 9-7/8 inches. This is a solid number for a, especially for a smaller quarterback. This compares to Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater, whose hands measured 9-1/4 inches. Bridgewater’s height and weight came in at 6-foot-2-1/2-inches and 214 pounds, respectively.
Regarding the hand size, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen stated that Manziel’s hand size is “very much a positive.” As reported in the past, the size of Manziel’s hands (and feet) indicate that, while he may stand under six feet tall today, he could grow beyond that benchmark in the future.
“All-weather size,” said Mortensen. “[He] can control the ball throwing and handling.”
Where things get interesting are the measurements of the player who may have the biggest question marks of the top four quarterbacks, Central Florida’s Blake Bortles, who measured in at a Roethlisbergian 6-foot-5-inches and 232 pounds with a 9-3/8-inch hands.
Other notable measurements include wide receivers Sammy Watkins (6-foot-3/4 inches, 211 pounds), Marquise Lee (5-foot-11-3/4 inches, 192 pounds), and Mike Evans (6-foot-4-3/4 inches and 231 pounds).
The Browns continue to be pegged as one of the many teams to use a first-round pick on a quarterback in the 2014 NFL Draft and there is no denying the stark contrast between the players who will be available at the top.
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(Thomas Campbell/USA TODAY Sports)
28 Comments
Another notable measurement. FSU WR Kelvin Benjamin measured in at 6’5″ 240lbs. It’ll be interesting of course to see his 40-time, but he’s been the guy who I’d love to see us put opposite Gordon via the 26 pick if we don’t go Watkins at #4.
All this is interesting, but we won’t really know anything until we find out their tibia-to-fibula ratio, their iliac flexion index, their eye speed, and their favorite breakfast.
Know who else had big hands? Unitas and Big Ben. And Jamarcus Russell and Jeff George. So, yeah.
And of course, we’ll need to know how many clay pigeons they can hit from 10 yards out when they’re shot from a skeet shooter launcher thing.
But it’s science!
http://www.quickmeme.com/img/9e/9e7b00bb840c9a384bc6ba39625d831e71d4c41cf8a800882b76d3fe9f934bf6.jpg
I don’t know. I think he drops too many passes.
Handsalicious?
And for Miami to ask him if his mother is a hooker.
I really need to know if they can throw a football into a trashcan in the bed of a speeding Ford F150.
But, can he do this…
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view2/4548818/2-things-at-once-kid-at-t-o.gif
dropping passes is a requirement to play WR for the Browns, just ask Little and Bess.
yeah, but I don’t want to know in April that he’s going to drop passes for us in the fall. I like to be surprised.
Are we allowed to ask if they’ve ever been involuntarily committed to a mental institution? Because if so, that should go on the standard questionnaire.
I was going to say “but he couldn’t drop nearly as many passes as Little or Braylon… right, right?”
I’d still be excited if they got him, if I’m not mistaken the book on Gordon coming out of college was that he dropped passes too.
No. The Americans With Disabilities Act protects people against discrimination based on mental health, so people aren’t required to answer questions like this from current or prospective employers.
(I know you were making a Bess joke, but that’s also a real answer.)
More so than any other position in all of pro sports, QB is the one where people believe that comparable size between two players means comparable skill as well. It’s so ridiculous. Do people in the NBA draw any serious conclusion because a guy is as tall as Lebron? Obviously you don’t want a 5’7 QB, but come on people.
you are mistaken. he was always considered a “soft-hands” guy with good YAC potential. his main weaknesses were listed as route-running and bongs.
Fair enough. A better point made by me would be that there are always guys who come into the league with questionable hands. Some overcome it. Some don’t. Just so happens that Edwards and Little are two recent Cleveland examples who didn’t.
I do remember the bong red flag on Gordon. Nicely put.
Indeed, I was doing both. So that being the case, what recourse do teams have in these situations? It’s hard to say the Browns front office “didn’t do their job(s)” if they legally can’t force an answer.
Well, there’s a difference between asking the player straight up and vetting someone. You don’t want to turn into the RedSox who basically paid private detectives to read Carl Crawford’s mail and follow him around for a month before signing him though.
Are we to believe that the height of Texas A&M’s offensive linemen is so much worse than the average NFL lineman that his height matters? Can they not just CUE UP THE DAMN TAPE?
Russell Wilson and Drew Brees are small QBs. But they’re also SMART QBs.
They also both have Super Bowl rings now, too.
(Keep in mind, this is neither an endorsement for JF or a rip against JF; I just think all of this “measurable” crap gets so overblown.)
I completely agree that it gets overblown (as we saw with Weeden’s tall stature still having issues with batted passes).
However, it is a data point to consider as smaller QBs need passing lanes whereas taller QBs w/ good mechanics (high release) can create their own passing lanes easier. The overblown nature, of course, is that it is but one small data point and many act like it is the only one.
and, of course, that didn’t stop him from getting injured and having his 2 worst statistical seasons of his career for them.
best case scenario: a staff like Jimmy’s boys who had so many college connections that they knew which guys could be harnessed and which were too out of whack.
Should we be concerned with all the moxie crammed into such a small frame? One big hit could conceivably compress all that moxie beyond critical mass, resulting in a runaway moxlear chain reaction, or in the worst case, a moxplosion!
lol
lol again
I want Benjamin in a Browns uniform. He has Alshon Jeffery written all over him: A huge receiver with tremendous upside that somehow falls in the draft and turns out to be a stud.
thank you.