Thoughts on Da'Shawn Hand + his MONSTER bench press session

I figure I'll do a "Thoughts on ____" thread every day or every few days. I wanted to do a Hand thread next, but not until tomorrow or the next day...

Then I read this: LINK

quote:

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The 6-foot-4, 273-pound defensive lineman warmed up briefly before loading up the bench press with 225 pounds and lying down to perform a set with his friends and mentor, John Harris, standing around watching.

Hand, a rising sophomore, did 42 reps, five more than any player got at the NFL scouting combine in February.

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So, thoughts on Hand?

Obviously he didn't play much as a Freshman, even though he was the #1 overall recruit (Rivals), our DL was stacked. The entire DL returns, so Hand will still be on the 2nd unit. That said, his total PT should increase, and Saban recently said that Hand is coming along nicely.

At 6'4" 273lbs, that is lighter than where we thought he'd be. IIRC we listed him over 280 last year, though I could be remembering wrong. Some of us were worried he'd get too heavy, but if the listing is right, he may have LOST weight to keep that crazy athleticism he has to go with his absurd strength.

As excited as I am about the interior duo of Jarran Reed and A'Shawn Robinson, I'm just as excited about the edge duo of Jon Allen and Da'Shawn Hand. Da'Shawn only had 2 sacks a year ago, and yeah they were likely in garbage time, but I think he'll be a tough guy to block this season.