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Will Hernandez vs Quenton Nelson

Ira : 5/19/2018 8:30 am
Before the draft, I started a thread comparing these two players. Now that we all know much more about them - particularly Hernandez, I want to raise this issue again. How are they different? Is Nelson that much better than Hernandez that he deserved to be the 6th pick in the draft, while Hernandez was 34th? To me, they look very similar - dominant run blockers who have enough lateral quickness to pass protect inside. But so many 'experts' put Nelson far ahead of Hernandez. What do I know?
Ira  
joeinpa : 5/19/2018 8:38 am : link
You know how these things work. It s only in looking back that we learn about the wisdom of where players were drafted.

Did we ever think Richie Seubert would be better than the offensive lineman that got drafted high.

You might be correct, Hernandez might turn out to be the player Nelson is, or better
Honestly Nelson is as close to a co plate guard as you will find  
superspynyg : 5/19/2018 8:45 am : link
Coming out of college. His technique is good,, he is strong, his footwork is solid. He makes the two players next to him even better.

Hernandez is really good and will need some coaching but not much. He needs to work on his hands a little, but is a solid prospect. He should be a future pro bowler.

Nelson= Zach Martin coming out of college
Hernandez= Snee coming out of college... a guy who will bloom into a great guard in a year or two.

Just my Opinion.
Quenton Nelson has the size. He’s a mammoth.  
Brown Recluse : 5/19/2018 8:46 am : link
Hernandez is a tad short and has short arms.

I think Nelson is also a bit more refined in his technique. And he only allowed 2 sacks in his entire college career if I recall. Hes just a better prospect.

None of that is a knock on Hernandez though and doesnt mean he wont be an excellent guard.
I can't speak to worthiness of 6 vs 34  
Giantsfan79 : 5/19/2018 8:55 am : link
but in watching videos of both players I can say that Hernandez needs more technique work than Nelson.

The biggest thing to me for whatever it's worth is that more often than not Hernandez's hands end up on the opposing players shoulders as opposed to the middle of their chest. He's in less of a power position at that point technique wise. Nelson on the hand seemed to have better leg bend and hand placement technique wise. He's more advanced than Hernandez in that area.

I think Hernandez's entire life he's been the biggest and strongest player on the field and that raw strength has allowed him to get the job done even with flaws in technique. I don't want to come across as a hater, I'm excited as hell to have him but he's got to work on his hand placement.
Nelson  
Phil in LA : 5/19/2018 9:06 am : link
Was the pride and joy of a great position coach at ND, too. They’ve been churning out great prospects for a few years, now. I think Gruden hired him away.
I was wrong  
Phil in LA : 5/19/2018 9:18 am : link
Heistad went to the Bears.
Both come with good leadership, attitude, and cultural values  
Coach Red Beaulieu : 5/19/2018 9:27 am : link
Really says something about our former culture when a rookie is waaaay ahead of anyone in our Oline in that area.
Nelson gets more movement...  
M.S. : 5/19/2018 9:42 am : link

...on his man.

He drives them off the line then seals them off.

No one does it better than Nelson.
to me Nelson does more  
Dankbeerman : 5/19/2018 9:45 am : link
than just the one on one stuff that Hernandez excells at. he is better pulling, getting off his block and to the 2nd level with the play and worked great with his unit.

As to the value overall I think will is closer to Nelson then 6 is to 34
To my untrained eye, Nelson appears to be much more mobile with  
Ivan15 : 5/19/2018 9:47 am : link
Better lateral movement. Hernandez appears to have short, choppy strides and lacks mobility. Best when the play is in front of him or goes through his spot.
I'm glad I raised the question as it got many interesting and  
Ira : 5/19/2018 9:53 am : link
intelligent responses.
Hernandez  
Phil in LA : 5/19/2018 10:18 am : link
Will make pro bowls. Nelson will be all pro for 14 straight years or something.
RE: Honestly Nelson is as close to a co plate guard as you will find  
Klaatu : 5/19/2018 10:48 am : link
In comment 13968208 superspynyg said:
Quote:
Coming out of college. His technique is good,, he is strong, his footwork is solid. He makes the two players next to him even better.

Hernandez is really good and will need some coaching but not much. He needs to work on his hands a little, but is a solid prospect. He should be a future pro bowler.

Nelson= Zach Martin coming out of college
Hernandez= Snee coming out of college... a guy who will bloom into a great guard in a year or two.


Just my Opinion.


Two very good comparisons.
Level of competition  
ij_reilly : 5/19/2018 12:00 pm : link
Probably ought to be mentioned in this discussion.

Hernandez performed well at Senior Bowl practices. Given the competitive level he played at, the Senior Bowl performance probably was necessary for him. He answered some questions there.

The difference in level of competition is likely to cause Nelson to make a bigger impact earlier than Hernandez.

Another part of the equation I think  
eli4life : 5/19/2018 12:07 pm : link
Is Nelson can play other positions and Hernandez is strictly a guard
RE: I can't speak to worthiness of 6 vs 34  
j_rud : 5/19/2018 12:19 pm : link
In comment 13968211 Giantsfan79 said:
Quote:
but in watching videos of both players I can say that Hernandez needs more technique work than Nelson.

I think Hernandez's entire life he's been the biggest and strongest player on the field and that raw strength has allowed him to get the job done even with flaws in technique. I don't want to come across as a hater, I'm excited as hell to have him but he's got to work on his hand placement.


Good point, and I think it shows up most in his foot work. There are time Hernandez stops moving his feet and you can see it's just his brute strength that allows him to do that. It's something he'll have to work on but I don't see any reason to doubt that he can do so successfully
Who would you rather have:  
MOOPS : 5/19/2018 12:26 pm : link
Barkley + Hernandez

or

Nelson + Nick Chubb

I'll take door #1. Much bigger difference between Barkley and Chubb.

RE: Honestly Nelson is as close to a co plate guard as you will find  
BestFeature : 5/19/2018 12:27 pm : link
In comment 13968208 superspynyg said:
Quote:
Coming out of college. His technique is good,, he is strong, his footwork is solid. He makes the two players next to him even better.

Hernandez is really good and will need some coaching but not much. He needs to work on his hands a little, but is a solid prospect. He should be a future pro bowler.

Nelson= Zach Martin coming out of college
Hernandez= Snee coming out of college... a guy who will bloom into a great guard in a year or two.

Just my Opinion.


Was Zach Martin supposed to be what he became when he was coming out? I don't remember him being considered a dominant prospect but his strength was his versatility. Maybe I'm remembering wrong.
Zach Martin was a left tackle in college and could probably  
Ira : 5/19/2018 12:29 pm : link
play tackle if needed. I don't think Nelson can play tackle in the nfl.
We don't know any more today  
SHO'NUFF : 5/19/2018 2:57 pm : link
than we did before the draft. Nothing has changed.
Watch film of Nelson. He engages his opponent and buries him  
GeofromNJ : 5/21/2018 8:19 am : link
There is no escape from this monster. And when his first opponent is on the ground, he immediately switches to another guy. He can run downfield and pulverize any 'would be' tackler. If Chubb had been taken first, I wanted the Giants to draft Nelson.
I think in limited space, they're pretty close.  
Section331 : 5/21/2018 9:12 am : link
Nelson gets a slight edge, but Hernandez is so strong, and has surprisingly good footwork in tight spaces. It is in space that the differences become glaring. Nelson is elite in space, chasing down LB's and DB's. I think Hernandez is better than advertised, but he's not close to Nelson in that regard. I'm not sure anyone in the draft is.
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