A Look At Lions Fourth-Round Pick Da’Shawn Hand’s 2017 Performance And Future Outlook
Fourth-round pick Da’Shawn Hand was one of the most surprising picks of the Detroit Lions draft earlier this year. Trading a 2019 third-round pick to move into the fourth round would imply that general manager Bob Quinn and new head coach Matt Patricia think highly of Hand and his abilities to spend that draft capital on him.
Hand is intriguing largely because of his path to the NFL. Because of his upper-end athletic gifts and technique at the high school level, Hand was the top player rated in the country coming into college. However, a lack of consistent effort on the field kept him from maximizing his potential.
Da’Shawn Hand’s Alabama Years And Beyond
While Hand’s highest production totals come from his senior and junior seasons, his best performance came in his sophomore year. Hand’s total tackles were down on the year during his sophomore campaign. However, despite playing in a limited role and in two fewer games, he nearly matched his upperclassman years combined in both the sack and tackles for a loss categories.
This is important to his future development and could be the reason that Detroit was a great place for Hand to land to reach his potential. Hand’s sophomore campaign was the last season that his defensive line coach at the time, Bo Davis, would be at Alabama. In a great twist of fate, the Lions recently hired Davis to be their new defensive line coach following the hiring of Patricia.
If Hand can start reaching his potential, he could be a huge addition for the Lions. The coaching staff has gone on record stating multiple times that one of his greatest attributes is his versatility. They believe Hand can play anywhere on the defensive line from a 0′ nose tackle to a 7′ edge rusher. Hand has a great scheme fit, proper coaching, and engaged staff that make his landing spot in Detroit potentially his best one.
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