Gerald McCoy

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by JAFF

Short arms? What he can't do push ups? He can't reach his wanker? WTF does it mean to have short arms???

Length is helpful for a DL because it allows them to get their hands on the OL first, which disrupts the OL's technique, which makes it easier to win any rep. Length also can help with establishing leverage, which, again, helps to win any rep. A player with shorter arms will be at a disadvantage in those situations, because OL will be able to lock on to them easier, and breaking free of blocks will be more difficult. If you watch tape of players who have length, examples of these scenarios come up all the time. One of Tillery's sacks against Stanford, for example, happened almost entirely because he was able to lock his right arm on the guard's shoulder, completely knock him off balance and not allow him to establish a block, and that allowed him to walk the guard right back to the QB. Using the eye test to see if someone can make plays is good. Understanding how they made those plays and determining if their skillset is such that it will translate to being able to make similar plays at the next higher level of competition is better.