Yesterday’s frantic opening day of the combine involved emotional stories from potential draftees, a prestigious draft class from one powerhouse football school, and a bizarre controversy over top quarterback prospect Jared Goff’s hand size.
By: Cory Burrell
During day 2, we had a response from Goff himself on what he thinks about the new obsession over his hands, as well as a self-evaluation from a troubled-yet talented wide receiver, news on a current star in the NFL seeking a potentially draft-altering trade, and which former Buckeye says he will leave the teams marveling at his speed.
Goff Responds to Unusual Criticism Over Hand Size
Since yesterday’s reports over quarterback Jared Goff’s “tiny” hands, the internet has been in a frenzy, with analysts, coaches, scouts, and more weighing in on if small hands are really such a big concern for quarterbacks. Today, Goff had a chance to comment himself over the peculiar issue.
“I’ve been told I have pretty big hands my whole life,” the prospect out of The University of California said. “I heard I have small hands [on Wednesday], apparently. No, I’ve never had a problem with that or expect it to be a problem at all.”
The actual measurements of Goff’s hands finally came out earlier today, with Goff having 9-inch hands, according to Tom Pelissero. Far from the largest hands of a quarterback, but also fairly close to the size of several current NFL starters, including Colin Kaerpernick and Teddy Bridgewater
When asked if hand size has ever given Goff issues with fumbling the ball, Goff pointed out his collegiate stats – he only fumbled four times in his final season with the Golden Bears.
Hand size aside, the three top quarterbacks of Goff, Paxton Lynch, and Carson Wentz still has plenty of shaking out to do before April, when we will finally see who gets drafted where. Currently, Lynch ranks first, Goff second, and Wentz third according to Optimum Scouting’s pre-combine rankings.
Duke Williams Aware of Costly Character Concerns
Ex-Auburn wide receiver D’haquille “Duke” Williams has not had the smoothest path to the pros so far. The embattled wideout had some poignant words on his draft outlook today.
“I’m a first-round pick no matter what,” Williams said. “but off the field I’m a seventh-round pick. My character is seventh round.”
A standout stint at the JUCO level led to recruitment to play for Auburn in 2014, where Williams displayed NFL-caliber talent as one of the Tigers’ top weapons. But Williams had almost as many off-the-field incidents as he did spectacular plays. One incident, later revealed to be club fight, ended up being the last straw for Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, who dismissed Williams from the team. The sudden end to Williams’ collegiate career caused a sharp drop in his draft projections, going from a day-one choice to a potentially undrafted free agent.
Williams told reporters today he has changed for the better and has gone to counseling for his “attitude,” but expressed deep remorse for the grief his actions caused not only to himself, but everyone else in his life.
“I hurt my family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches who gave me chance after chance,” Williams said. “I regret the fight. (Coach Gus) Malzahn, he gave me chance after chance…I hurt the Auburn family by getting dismissed.”
Optimum Scouting currently ranks Williams at 37th among wide receivers in this draft and grades him as an undrafted free agent.
Kaepernick Asks for Trade from 49ers
The combine is all about potential players and soon-to-be draft picks, but that there is more than a fair share of big news from the current personal on various teams. For the 49ers, one sudden request may require San Francisco to make changes to their draft strategy.
Agents for 49ers starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick requested permission from San Francisco to seek a trade, according to NFL Network’s Rand Getlin.
Kaepernick has had a rollercoaster ride of a professional career in the NFL. After being a backup for early on in his career, Kaepernick took over as the leader of a 49ers team that reached the Super Bowl in 2012. But Kaepernick’s play took several steps back in 2015, the same season Jim Tomsula replaced Jim Harbaugh as head coach. He would eventually be benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert and Kaepernick’s season ended for good shortly after because of a shoulder injury.
With a fairly hefty stockpile of draft picks held by the 49ers and Chip Kelly now in as the head coach to lead what the 49ers hope is a fairly quick turnaround, San Francisco may opt to take a quarterback early – assuming they decide to trade Kaepernick and can find a willing suitor.
Braxton Miller Promises to Turn Heads with Speed
Braxton Miller went from an explosive dual-threat quarterback at Ohio State to an equally deadly wide receiver for the Buckeyes following shoulder surgery. Now he’s looking to ready to take his newly-found receiving talents to the NFL.
In today’s interview with members of the media, Miller told reporters he “knows for sure” he is a first-round talent, but is willing to work to prove his talent to teams in any way he can.
“I’m doing everything,” Miller said. “I’m going to do it all. This is what I’ve prepared myself for. I don’t want to back down from nothing. I want to do it all. I might do extra, I don’t know. Whatever they ask, I’m going to do.”
Miller said while he no longer views himself as a quarterback since the position switch, his quarterbacking background gives him a unique eye for reading defenses not always seen in young wide receiver prospects.
“Reading defenses, how you can point out things even before the play even starts,” Miller said. “That’s what the team was surprised about, like I know it all from playing quarterback. It ties into receiver a lot, too.”
Miller said he expects to give an impressive showing in the 40-yard dash. His Buckeye teammate and fellow projected first rounder Ezekiel Elliott said Miller will give the fast 40 time of all Buckeyes in this year’s draft. Miller agreed with Elliott’s assessment of his own speed, stating he used to run a 4.36 when he played quarterback, but refused to promise he would break the all-time combine record of 4.24 seconds, set by Chris Johnson in 2008.
Optimum Scouting ranks Miller as the second-best wide receiver in the draft, with Ole Miss’ Laquon Treadwell the only wideout ranking above him.
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