Winning the Weigh-In: Winners and Losers at the 2018 Senior Bowl

One of the most anticipated events at the Senior Bowl has nothing to do with play on the field, but how a prospect looks “on the hoof.” The weigh-in puts players on a level playing field and gives teams objective measurements by which to measure prospects against their competition in key measurables.

Player evaluation is a difficult, complex process that is different for every team and for many teams those measureables matter. Mike Zimmer, for example, doesn’t want corners below 6’0” on the outside so that they can use their length to win battles in the air.

Many NFL teams have weight and length thresholds along the offensive and defensive line, and though it may seem like “how a player played in college” is a good proxy for how they’ll do in the NFL, a multitude of factors come in to play that muddy the transition, something Lance Zierlein talked about last year when discussing former Michigan cornerback Jourdan Lewis.

Winners

Dallas Goedert, TE South Dakota State

The former Jackrabbit was one of the few FCS prospects who built up hype a year prior as a special prospect, and even has the opportunity to be the rare tight end that breaks into the first round — even as a small-schooler. His fluidity and length (33 7/8” arms) already intrigue scouts, and the fact that he weighed in at 260 pounds while maintaining a lean profile is astounding, demonstrating dense muscle mass that should translate well when he’s forced to play physically in tight spaces.

Darius Leonard, ILB South Carolina State

The knock on Leonard coming out of high school was the fact that he was undersized, and it’s something that’s followed him throughout his stellar career. The MEAC defensive player of the year has proven that he can produce, even against tough opponents like Clemson, and now has taken the next step in demonstrating that he has traits that translate. While 6-foot-2 is not an ideal height for a linebacker, Leonard may have made up for it by measuring in with 34 1/8” arms and an 82” wingspan that will better enable him to clog up passing lanes and taking on blocks.

Brandon Parker, North Carolina A&T

The last small-school offensive tackle to impress at the weigh-in, Julien Davenport from Bucknell, played questionably well in Senior Bowl practices and hasn’t impressed in the NFL, but was picked in the fourth round by virtue of his incredible upside. Parker may be a more polished prospect than Davenport — though not by much — and was nearly as impressive at the weigh-in. With 35 3/8” arms and a massive 85 1/4″ wingspan, NFL teams will keep the FCS player on his radar, especially after having watched him clear the way for current Bears running back Tarik Cohen.

Mike Gesicki, TE Penn State

People knew that Gesicki was a big player, so measuring in with 34” arms at 6’5” wasn’t a surprise, but it was a good start to his Senior Bowl. Confirming a player’s height and weight is crucial for someone with technical issues and trouble blocking — had he measured in with a little less length, his biggest selling point would be diminished in the eyes of NFL decisionmakers, who now know they have a ball of clay to mold into a potentially explosive matchup option.

Jalyn Holmes, DE Ohio State

Evaluators watching Nick Bosa, a more well-regarded prospect from Ohio State, will have noticed Holmes jumping off the tape. Known mostly as an “upside” guy with astounding athleticism, his measurements may make the difference between a team known for developing pass-rushers — like the Vikings — and passing on him for someone with more upside. Already, Holmes has demonstrated that he may be able to fit into a variety of schemes, as his height 6’4 3/4″ doesn’t prevent him from playing as a 4-3 defensive end, while his length (34 3/4″ arms) and weight (279 pounds) still allow him to compete as a base end in 3-4 packages. With the looming retirement of Brian Robison and the need for a young talent to pair with Danielle Hunter long-term after Everson Griffen retires, Holmes could be a player the Vikings target in the mid-rounds.

Losers

Harrison Phillips, DT Stanford

An astoundingly productive defensive tackle for a program known to produce defensive linemen, there were questions about Phillips’ movement ability and capacity for taking on blocks in the run game. While his length, height and weight (33 3/4″ arms, 6’3 3/8” frame and 303 pounds) check every box for teams, his build might turn teams off as he looks like an all upper-body athlete with no base to generate explosiveness or anchor against guards. He could prove doubters wrong this week, but he’s not starting out on the right foot.

Will Hernandez, OG UTEP

Hernandez is a favorite among many for his absurd numbers in pass protection — two pressures allowed this year on a baffling 387 pass blocking snaps, better than almost every other guard in the FBS — as well as his strength in the running game, but many kept him out of the first round in their projections because of his build and movement ability. The Vikings could use a replacement for Joe Berger, who is mulling retirement, and might want competition for Nick Easton, but they prefer to keep things clean for Dalvin Cook, who is primarily a zone runner. That may require a bit more movement and athletic ability from the guards than other systems do, and weighing 340 pounds doesn’t resolve those concerns for a lot of people.

Mason Rudolph, QB Oklahoma State

It may seem silly sometimes, but quarterback hand size really does impact evaluations in the NFL. While most NFL teams only use hand size as a checklist — eliminating all those below a certain threshold and ignoring any size above it — some value bigger hands somewhat substantially. Either way, Rudolph, who has arm strength concerns, measures in (9 1/8”) just below the threshold that most NFL teams keep (9 1/4″) and could be downgraded on team boards as a result. In a league where people will look for any reason to move on from a quarterback, this seemingly small thing could hurt his stock.

Danny Johnson, CB Southern

Johnson is an athlete who might have played both sides of the ball for Southern, and may break a 4.40 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, but may not be able to convince teams he has all the upside necessary to spend a mid-round pick on him despite his production — leading the FCS in interceptions in 2016 despite missing three games is a heady accomplishment. Some teams cut off their evaluations, even for nickel corners, at 5-foot-10 and Johnson measured in at 5-foot-9 1/8”. His reputation as a hard-hitting run defender helped him get noticed by scouts, but it’s difficult to lay the wood against NFL athletes at 182 pounds — there are only so many Antoine Winfields.

Jeremy Reaves, S South Alabama

With the smallest hands at the Senior Bowl (7 3/4″), he could get dinged in a bigger way than Rudolph does. He also has the shortest wingspan of any defensive back there (71 1/2″), he might be out of some teams’ plans entirely. Short safeties (5-foot-10 5/8”) aren’t necessarily uncommon — Tyrann Mathieu is an inch shorter — but they tend to have a larger wingspan (Mathieu’s was 75 3/8”) and put more explosive play on the field than Reaves has. There are clear concerns about Reaves’ ability to contest deep passes against larger receivers, and this won’t help them.

Mixed Messages

Levi Wallace, CB Alabama

Some teams will be in love with Levi Wallace’s length, as he measured in with 33 3/8” arms. The Seahawks, and therefore possibly the Atlanta Falcons, prioritize corners with length over 32”. The problem is that he also weighed in at 176 pounds, which largely restricts players to special teams roles in the NFL. That 176 pounds would be thin for a 5-foot-9 nickel corner, but Wallace is 6-foot-3/8” and looks rail thin. If he can add weight and maintain speed, that would be good, but it could already be late in the process for him to do that and still impress NFL teams.


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