The 2017 Shrine Game kicks off the all-star game circuit for the new crop of NFL rookie hopefuls. Katie Flower, Jordan McNamara, and I are headed to Mobile, Alabama for the Senior Bowl next week, but the Shrine Game offers our first official measurements for some of the 2017 NFL Draft class. Here are the notable projection model adjustments:
Running Backs
DeVeon Smith: He came in a little under my 228-pound estimate at 224. Also, his hands were just 8.25″. He falls a few percentage points, but was already below-average in the model.
I’Tavius Mathers: Up 8 pounds to 198 from the early projection, a good boost for the small schooler. His hands were on the small side like Smith, but it is not a big factor overall in the model. Mathers moves up 3-4 spots in the metric rankings overall.
Marcus Cox: A strong producer, Cox came in at 207 pounds (up 2 pounds) – a good sign for the small school back.
Elijah McGuire: He may be the most intriguing fantasy backs of the Shrine Game bunch and he came in at a nice 212 pounds (up 4 pounds). He should test reasonably well in drills.
Joe Williams: The Utah back will be 24 years old for Week 1 and came in under his estimated weight with 202 pounds. His BMI of 28.5 is not optimal, but he could run in the 4.3s later in the process.
Wide Receivers
Drew Morgan: The Arkansas receiver came in under his weight projection by 5 pounds (190) and his arm length and hands were both below average in the model. For a receiver already on the outside looking in from a metric perspective, this is a rough start.
Quincy Adeboyejo: He was already projected on the thin side, but weighed in even thinner at 192 pounds (nearly 6’3″) for a BMI of just 24.2 – a big issue. His long arms were a nice boost, but his hands are a shade over 9″, which is below average.
DeAngelo Yancey: The Purdue receiver is the biggest positive of this entire list. Yancey was projected to be thick, but until confirmation, there is a wide range. He confirmed his 6’1″ and 220-pound frame and added long arms and decent hand size to his building profile. While a projected Day 3 pick at this stage, Yancey is on the short list of intriguing later round rookie draft potential targets from the receiver group.
Trey Griffey: Not a bad start for Griffey (Arizona) with 6’2″ and 208 pounds. His BMI is above-average and he had quality arm and hand measures. He was a non-producer in college, so a strong workout will be critical.
Jalen Robinette: Big numbers from the Air Force product with huge hands (nearly 11″), 33″ arms, and a 6’3″, 215-pound frame. His size score of +49% stands out as a Day 3 or UDFA current projection.
Gabe Marks: Marks was already on the metric fringe and a 185-pound weigh-in with 8″ hands (the new baby hands) keeps him off the radar barring a huge surprise with his workout.
Austin Carr: A decent showing for the Northwestern receiver at 6′ and 201 pounds. His hand size is decent. I added him to the projection model but he was a very late bloomer production-wise.
Billy Brown: I added Brown to the projection model last week, but I do not know what to make of the Shepherd product. He was already in the 230-pound range by online estimates as a receiver and now weighed in at 6’3″ and 254 pounds…yet is still listed by the Shrine Game roster as a receiver, not a tight end. His hands are huge, his arms are long, so if he somehow sticks as a receiver, his metrics are outstanding, including his production. I have him at 4.60 in the 40, but that may ultimately decide his position – as well as digesting the 254-pound build from this week.
Kermit Whitfield: The Florida State receiver could be in the running for the best 40-time of the receivers, but he has a 183-pound frame and just 8.25″ hands. He was also a low-level producer in college.
Tight Ends
Eric Saubert: Shame on me for not having the Drake tight end in the projection model before today. He logged quality numbers across the board with his official weigh-in, including above-average arm and hand measures. He was a strong producer for four years as well. Saubert is a very interesting TE-premium name to know starting out the process.
Blake Jarwin: It was a decent showing for Jarwin, currently the lowest metric tight end in the model. His arm length and hand size were both above-average, but his 244-pound frame is not ideal considering his athleticism is likely a concern.
Michael Roberts: The most eye-popping numbers of the Shrine Game skill position numbers was Roberts’ 11.625″ hands – breaking the projection model for the tight end position historically. He is a projected poor athlete, but we will see later in the process as his size score is off the charts, including his title of 2017’s Banana Hands.
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