2013 NFL Scouting Combine: Offensive Linemen, Tight Ends Measure Up

With a big thanks to Alfie Crow of Big Cat Country, we have all the measurements of the offensive linemen and tight ends from the NFL Scouting Combine yesterday. It's obviously just another set of data points in the prospect evaluation process, but it can certainly be an important set of quantities if there are concerns about a player keeping his weight up or down. It certainly affected Russell Wilson last year, dropping his stock even further when teams found out he was even shorter than his listed 5-11 height.

Offensive Linemen

I have a few initial observations: D.J. Fluker is a mountain of a man, and not just in girth - his arms are the longest of any offensive lineman at 36-3/4 inches. Joe Madsen of West Virginia is on the other end of the spectrum, with the shortest arms of any linemen at a flat 30 inches long. Regardless of his ability, that will likely drive him down some draft boards. Otherwise, there wasn't anything really surprising here.

Tight Ends

The big surprise that jumped out to me is how Dion Sims of Michigan State was able to slim down for the combine. Despite playing most of the 2012 season at a weight in the 280-285 pound range, Sims is down to 262. If he can still show good strength at that weight, I could see that boosting his draft stock a bit.

As for the tight ends who some are projecting to the Packers in the first few rounds, Tyler Eifert, Zach Ertz, and Gavin Escobar all came in right around the same size, with a slight knock on Ertz due to his arms being a bit shorter than the other two. Any clear separation between those three players will have to come in the on-field drills.

Hand size is a key data point for receiving options, and Joseph Fauria of UCLA measured up with massive 10-7/8 inch hands to lead the pack. Then again, he's the second-tallest player at the position this year. What was surprising was Eifert's hands being a full half-inch smaller than Ertz's or Escobar's despite very similar frames.