🏈 Darius Hanks turning heads in St. Pete at the E vs W Shrine Bowl game.

[TerryP]

Darius Hanks, WR, Alabama -- Hanks' stock has been moving north since his terrific performance in the BCS title game, and he kept the momentum going in St. Petersburg. Hanks is not fast, rather a sure-handed possession wideout. He ran good routes all week and used his frame to box out defenders from the action. Hanks' 40 time will be the ultimate decider as to where he lands in the draft, but his play here has affirmed the opinion that he'll be a solid fourth receiver at the next level.

Mash

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[JoshB]

I think Hanks will have a chance of being on an NFL team for a long time, he'd be a great possession receiver for teams down the line. How many times this year did he make big catches, diving catches, for us?

 

[bamajt]

I think he will have a good shot at playing in the NFL, but is he looking like a rookie free agent or a late round pick?

 

[JoshB]

^^ With a strong showing at the combine, I would say in the 5-7 round area.

 

[EuroTide]

would take him over nearly all the guys on the browns roster at this point ....

 

[Argo]

Plus, he is one of the best blocking wide receivers to ever play for Alabama. That will pay off at the next level.

 

[SpecThis]

Won't he be back next year? I thought that was why he missed the first 3 games

 

[JoshB]

^^ No he missed those 3 games so he could play THIS year... he was a 5th year senior.

 

[Southern Bama]

Without question...very underrated. dude catches everything.......made several that i had to rewind to see how in the hell he did it.

 

[Mr. Pink]

not mention he runs unbelievable routes. I remember reading an article where HoF WR (or maybe it was CC not sure) talked about his route running ability and compared to some of the best. They talked about it before the BCS game too and showed how he keeps his head down until the very last second. Hes got some good skills and i see him as 4-5 pick. With Maze's injury concerns I think Hanks goes before Maze in the draft.

 

[BamaFan615]

I don't know exactly what kind of 40 times Hanks will run, but I know he's not a huge deep threat. I'd agree with the sentiment that he's a good possession receiver, but possession receivers in the NFL typically have big frames. I think Hanks is listed somewhere around 6' 0" and around 185lbs.

I think that's the battle that Hanks has to prove he can overcome. He's certainly a smart WR who uses every amount of ability he has...and the good thing for WR nowadays is that it's not uncommon for NFL offenses to have 3 or more WR's in on just about every single play...so they're in high demand.

 

[BamaCore]

I was always impressed with Hanks and thought he would be a great WR for us. Truth of the matter is that he never really had all that many chances to shine or be flashy. He and the other WRs had to live in the shadow of Julio most of their college careers and this year had an inexperienced QB that maybe due to injuries had a bit of accuracy issues. Regardless, he's made a few absolutely fantastic catches over the years and this year he had quite a few once he worked his way back into the lineup. I don't think he's Julio-level talent, but I fully expect him to have a semi-successful career in the NFL at the least.

 

[JoshB]

I don't know exactly what kind of 40 times Hanks will run, but I know he's not a huge deep threat. I'd agree with the sentiment that he's a good possession receiver, but possession receivers in the NFL typically have big frames. I think Hanks is listed somewhere around 6' 0" and around 185lbs.

I think that's the battle that Hanks has to prove he can overcome. He's certainly a smart WR who uses every amount of ability he has...and the good thing for WR nowadays is that it's not uncommon for NFL offenses to have 3 or more WR's in on just about every single play...so they're in high demand.

Yeah i really dont know where u get that from, the majority of possession receivers are not very big at all... Derrick Mason was 5'10", 197 lbs... Wes Walker (prolly the ultimate possession receiver now) is 5'9" 185 lbs... Hines Ward (prolly considered one of the best ever) is 6'0, 200 lbs... so yea dont see the "big frame" there at all.

 

[TerryP]

I don't know exactly what kind of 40 times Hanks will run, but I know he's not a huge deep threat. I'd agree with the sentiment that he's a good possession receiver, but possession receivers in the NFL typically have big frames. I think Hanks is listed somewhere around 6' 0" and around 185lbs.

I think that's the battle that Hanks has to prove he can overcome. He's certainly a smart WR who uses every amount of ability he has...and the good thing for WR nowadays is that it's not uncommon for NFL offenses to have 3 or more WR's in on just about every single play...so they're in high demand.

Steve Smith type frame...it's worked for Smith.

 

[BamaFan615]

Yeah i really dont know where u get that from, the majority of possession receivers are not very big at all... Derrick Mason was 5'10", 197 lbs... Wes Walker (prolly the ultimate possession receiver now) is 5'9" 185 lbs... Hines Ward (prolly considered one of the best ever) is 6'0, 200 lbs... so yea dont see the "big frame" there at all.

Touche. Point well taken. Although, what I was saying is that Hanks doesn't necessarily have the combination of size and speed. And I guess "speed" for a possession receiver should probably be called quickness. And I'd venture to guess that his quickness and speed, at this time, don't match up to that of Derrick Mason (in his prime), Wes Welker's, and certainly not Steve Smith's.

With that being said, I get your point, you don't HAVE to have a huge frame or amazing speed/quickness to be productive in the NFL. But if we're talking about his draft stock those factors are where the question marks will be. All of those guys mentioned have either elite speed/quickness or strength. And believe me, I'm the guy that looks forward to Sunday Night Football just so I get to see the starting lines ups, when the players represent their universities. Especially when I see BAMA guys on there.

 

[TerryP]

Not the same frame, but I'm going to use Cris Carter as another example.

He didn't have speed. In fact, far from it. Strength? Again, not his forte'.

Crisp and correctly ran routes is the key to being a possession receiver in my eyes. Prothro wasn't the fastest guy on the field during his time. But, there wasn't another defender (or receiver) who had the cutting ability running crisp routes like Tyrone did.

I'm not comparing TP to DH in terms of talent. But, the fundamentals are the same.

 

[Swamptick]

not mention he runs unbelievable routes. I remember reading an article where HoF WR (or maybe it was CC not sure) talked about his route running ability and compared to some of the best. They talked about it before the BCS game too and showed how he keeps his head down until the very last second. Hes got some good skills and i see him as 4-5 pick. With Maze's injury concerns I think Hanks goes before Maze in the draft.

I've been waiting for someone to talk about what amazing routes the guy runs. Well said.

 

[Argo]

Yeah i really dont know where u get that from, the majority of possession receivers are not very big at all... Derrick Mason was 5'10", 197 lbs... Wes Walker (prolly the ultimate possession receiver now) is 5'9" 185 lbs... Hines Ward (prolly considered one of the best ever) is 6'0, 200 lbs... so yea dont see the "big frame" there at all.

Hines Ward is a great comparison. That's exactly who Hanks reminds me of every time I see him making a huge block in open space to free the ball carrier.

 

[Kirk Van de Graaff]

I for one think the guy shined when he was needed, that and his routes were nearly to perfection. He has great hands and will lay out for a reception, and to boot he can block just enough to get whomever open field. I am proud of him, and I think he can make it at the next level.