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@TomLuginbill @RecruitingESPN Does Dashawn Hand have Clowney ability?
— Kyle Dennis (@kdfrom93) September 18, 2013
No. On pure ability, we haven’t seen anyone the last eight years with his talent level, not even Robert Nkemdiche although he is a very, very close second. Da’Shawn Hand is a talented prospect, but is not blessed with the same stature or foot speed as Clowney. Hand is a hybrid player dependent upon scheme. If he were to attend Alabama or Florida we don’t feel he’d be a fulltime down lineman, we think he’d be a rush linebacker (Star or Jack) in a multiple 3-man front look. If he were to attend Michigan, we feel he would be a fulltime defensive end. However, he plays the position from a down stance much more like a 5-technique than a 9-technique yet he does not have the physical bulk yet to hold up as a five on an every down basis. Our concern with Hand has always been pad level and hip tightness. He is not an overly flexible lineman. His strengths are power, great hands and the ability to collapse the pocket. He is very strong. At some point he is going to bulk up into a 260-pound guy or more and then he might fit nicely as a 5-technique.