2018 NFL Draft: Chicago Bears 7-round mock draft in early December
Round 5, Pick 145: Da’Shawn Hand, DL, Alabama
In the first half of the season, the Bears’ front seven did a great job of putting great pressure on quarterbacks and stop running backs. As the season progressed, however, you can see they wore down. The defense needs better depth to help give them some rest during games and be fairly fresh at the end of games. That way we don’t see teams move down the field late in the game like the 49ers did in Week 13 to win the game.
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Da’Shawn Hand provides that help.
At 6-4, 290 pounds, Hand is considered a tweener. He has a lot of natural gifts. He is strong and has good hand placement and he moves his feet well. His problem is that he isn’t explosive. That may hurt him at the next level. As good as he is, if an offensive lineman gets his hands on him first he’ll have trouble. If he gets there first, his length helps him get under the blocker’s armpits and control him. Also, he has the ability to disengage quickly and stop the runner.
Hand’s best move is his bull rush. At the higher level, though, there are a lot of athletic and strong blockers, so that won’t work as often. He needs to add to his repertoire. Without that, he can be ineffective against the pass.
After spending his earlier years behind some of the best defensive linemen in college football history, Hand, the number one recruit coming out of high school, finally got his chance to break out. A knee injury kept that from happening, however. He is over the injury, but his place as an elite defender never materialized.
Hand is more effective playing on the interior. He can take up space and help free up someone else (Hicks?) to get the job done. He’ll do well in a rotation and help a defense.