Shrine Weigh-in Report

January 18, 2017

For some reason, and unlike next week’s Senior Bowl, Monday’s weigh-in session at the East-West Shrine game currently underway in St. Petersburg is not open to the media. Of course, the numbers always eventually leak out – here courtesy of the Sporting News is this year’s data – but there really doesn’t seem to be any reason for the secrecy. While in the end players don’t play the game in shorts, most NFL teams have basic parameters in terms of an athlete’s size and other physical characteristics that that they work into their final draft grades.

Again, how players ‘measure up’ is hardly a defining moment, but a number of prospects did make a particular impression on pro personnel people at Monday’s Shrine weight-in session. Chief among those may have been Florida International OT Dieugot Joseph, who GBN Associate Editor Pigskin Paul Guillemette reported is generating some genuine buzz this week. At 299 pounds, Joseph isn’t the biggest OT out there, but he checked in with 35.6 inch arms, along with big, strong (10-5”) hands. Utah OT Sam Tevi also checked off the same boxes with 34.9” arms and 10.4” hands. On the other hand, Texas A&M OT Avery Gennesy may have posted the most disappointing numbers of anyone in St. Pete. Thought to be a rising LT prospect, Gennesy measured in at barely 6-3, which is very short for an OT, along with a short 33” reach. Pro scouts may also have been disappointed in the reach of Arkansas OT Dan Skipper, who measured in at a legit 6-9, but whose arm length was still only 33.6” (where 35” is the gold standard.)

On the other side of the ball, Indiana DT Ralph Green, another player that our Pigskin Guillemette has noted in his dispatches from St. Pete, impressed at 6-3, 317 with a 34.5” reach. Pro scouts were also impressed with Arkansas DE Deatrich Wise who measured in at just under 6-5, 275 with a 35” reach. South Carolina DE Darius English also measured in at a rangy 6-5 with a 35” reach, although there will be plenty of debate whether he has the bulk to hold the point of attack at just 237 pounds or will have to make it at the next level as a 3-4 OLB. Same story for Pitt DE Ejuan Price, who was a whirling dervish for the Panthers on the field, but who is smallish even for an OLB at under 5-11 and just 246 pounds; the fact that his arm length was only 32” won’t help. Pro scouts also had to be a little disappointed that Florida Atlantic DE Trey Hendrickson, one of the guys they really wanted to see in St. Pete, also barely registered over 32” in arm length. It was even worse for Utah DE Hunter Dimick, one of the leading sackers in college football last fall, who only registered only a 31” arm length which is close to borderline for an edge rusher.

If there was an award for ‘best-looking FCS prospect’ at the Shrine weigh-in it may have gone to Shepherd WR Billy Brown who measured in at a TE-sized 6-3, 255 with huge (10-5”) hands and impressive arm length (33.5”). A couple of other true TEs also had impressive seesions including Oklahoma State’s Blake Jarwin who measured in at 6-5, 245 with 10” hands and a 34” reach. Same for Toledo’s Mike Roberts, who will also be at next week’s Senior Bowl, who tipped the scales at 6-4, 260, with absolutely massive mitts (11-6”) and a 33.6” reach.

At the same time, nobody is going to accuse Washington State WR Gabe Marks, who became the Pac-12’s all-time career leading receiver this fall, of simply getting by on his physical skills. Indeed, Marks measured in at just 5-10.5 and 185 pounds with small hands and a 30” inch reach. It will be interesting to watch Marks go up against a couple of corners who did pass the eyeball test in Minnesota’s Jalen Myrick, who isn’t all that tall at just 5-9.5, but who has a decent 32.5’ reach, along with Oregon State’s Treston DeCoud (another guy who our Pigskin has noted in his dispatches) who measured in at almost 6-2 with a 33” reach.