Da'Shawn Hand

Da'Shawn Hand

Hand with the Lions in 2020
No. 93 – Miami Dolphins
Position:	Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born:	(1995-11-14) November 14, 1995 (age 28) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	297 lb (135 kg)
Career information
High school:	Woodbridge (VA)
College:	Alabama
NFL draft:	2018  / Round: 4 / Pick: 114
Career history
Detroit Lions (2018–2021) Indianapolis Colts (2021)* Tennessee Titans (2021–2022) Miami Dolphins (2023–present)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2018) 2× CFP national champion (2015, 2017) Second-team All-SEC (2016, 2017)
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles: 71 Sacks: 4.0 Forced fumbles: 3 Fumble recoveries: 1 Pass deflections: 4
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Da'Shawn Hand (born November 14, 1995) ^[1] is an American football defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama.

Early years

Hand was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, fathered by Sharif Hand, who was a junior in high school when Da'Shawn was born. ^[2] Hand's uncle, Damone Boone, was a Parade All-American running back at West Springfield in Virginia in the mid-1990s. ^{[3] [4]}

After moving to Woodbridge, Virginia, Hand attended Woodbridge High School, where he was a three-sport athlete in football, wrestling and track. ^[5] In football, he was an All-State defensive lineman. In his junior year, Hand recorded 110 tackles, 16 sacks, 40 tackles for loss, two pass deflections, four forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. Woodbridge finished the season 6–5, losing 0–17 to Haymarket Battlefield in the first round of the VHSL playoffs. After his junior year, Hand was named Rivals.com Junior of the Year, an honor that comes along with being rated the No. 1 prospect of one's class entering senior season. Media attention steadily increased, and The Washington Post made Hand the subject of a documentary series named First and 17, which followed him both on and off the field, "giving an inside look at the challenges facing a top recruit juggling school, football and his senior year". ^[6]

In addition to playing football, Hand also excelled in wrestling and track. He was a regional champion in Virginia wrestling. In track & field, he competed primarily as a thrower, but also spend some time as a sprinter during his final year in 2014. At the Runner Store City-County Championships, he earned a second-place finish in the shot put event, recording a career-best throw of 15.81 meters (51 ft, 9 in). ^[7] He placed 11th in the discus at the Gojekian Twilight Classic, notching a top-throw of 35.66 meters (116 ft, 9 in). ^[8] In sprints, he clocked a 12.24-second 100-meter dash time at the 2014 Garfield Meet, where he took 7th. ^[9] He ran a 4.7-second 40-yard dash and had a 33-inch vertical jump.

Recruiting

Hand was considered the nation's best recruit in the 2014 class by Rivals.com. ^[10] In 2012, he was the Rivals High School Football Junior of the Year. ^[11] With over 90 scholarship offers, Hand narrowed down his choice of college destination to three—Alabama, Florida, and Michigan—before the start of his senior season. ^[1] On November 14, 2013, his eighteenth birthday, he committed to attend the University of Alabama. ^{[12] [13]} Eyeing a civil engineering major, Hand cited Alabama's civil engineering program as one of the key reasons he chose the Crimson Tide. ^[14]

College career

Hand attended Alabama from 2014–2017 under head coach Nick Saban. ^[15] In his true freshman year at Alabama, Hand was a regular in the Crimson Tide defensive line rotation and played in nine games at defensive end. He started his college career with one solo tackle against West Virginia. Hand finished with seven tackles on the year, including four solo stops and two sacks (−10 yards). Hand started nine of the 11 games he played in 2017, missing time with a minor knee injury. He had 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks in the season. ^[16]

Collegiate statistics

Da'Shawn Hand						Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
Year	School	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Solo	Ast	Tot	Loss	Sk	Int	Yds	Avg	TD	PD	FR	Yds	TD	FF
2014	Alabama	SEC	FR	DL	6	4	3	7	2.0	2.0	0	0		0	0	0			0
2015	Alabama	SEC	SO	DL	8	7	9	16	6.5	3.0	0	0		0	0	0			0
2016	Alabama	SEC	JR	DL	10	10	11	21	2.5	1.0	0	0		0	0	0			1
2017	Alabama	SEC	SR	DL	10	9	18	27	3.5	3.0	0	0		0	1	0			0
Career	Alabama					30	41	71	14.5	9.0	0	0		0	1	0			1

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 3+5⁄8 in (1.92 m)	297 lb (135 kg)	34+3⁄8 in (0.87 m)	9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m)	4.83 s	1.70 s	2.85 s	4.62 s	7.98 s	31.5 in (0.80 m)	9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)	28 reps
All values from NFL Combine [17] [18]

Detroit Lions

Hand was selected by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round (114th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft. ^[19] He made his professional debut in the Lions' season opener against the New York Jets. In Week 4, against the Dallas Cowboys, he recorded his first professional sack. ^[20] In the following game, he was able to record another sack in the victory against the Green Bay Packers. ^[21] He was placed on injured reserve on December 18, 2018. ^[22]

The 2019 season was an injury riddled sophomore season for Hand. He suffered an elbow injury early in training camp and missed the first six weeks of the regular season. He returned for two weeks, then suffered an ankle injury in Week 9 and missed the next three games. He returned in Week 13, but suffered a setback with the ankle injury and was placed on injured reserve on December 12, 2019. ^[23]

In 2020, Hand was relegated to a backup role, playing in about 50% of the total defensive snaps while only starting one game of 10 games played. He missed three games early in the season with a groin injury, then suffered an ankle injury in Week 14. He was placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2020. ^[24]

On September 2, 2021, Hand was placed on injured reserve. ^[25] He was activated on October 30. He was placed back on injured reserve on November 23, ending his season. He was released on November 30. ^[26]

Indianapolis Colts

On December 21, 2021, Hand was signed to the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad. ^[27] He was released on December 31.

Tennessee Titans

On January 5, 2022, Hand was signed to the Tennessee Titans practice squad. ^[28] On February 15, 2022, Hand signed a reserve/future contract with the Titans. ^[29] He was placed on injured reserve on September 13, 2022. ^[30]

Miami Dolphins

On August 6, 2023, Hand signed with the Miami Dolphins. ^[31] He was released on August 29 and re-signed to the practice squad. ^{[32] [33]} Hand was promoted to the active roster on September 16. ^[34]

On March 18, 2024, Hand re-signed with the Dolphins. ^[35]

References

1. Sheinin, Dave (August 23, 2013). "Da'Shawn Hand: A vaunted college football recruit with a hefty decision on his mind". The Washington Post .
2. Williams, Preston (October 18, 2012). "Da'Shawn Hand of Woodbridge: The recruit who cares as much about academics as the gridiron". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012.
3. McMullen, Paul (February 8, 1996). "Much-sought running back Boone signs with Maryland D.C.-area star accents '96 recruiting successes". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
4. "Defensive end Da'Shawn Hand has good grip on future". USA TODAY High School Sports. August 23, 2012. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
5. "Woodbridge graduate Da'Shawn Hand still turning heads as NFL beckons". INSIDENOVA.COM. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
6. "About First and 17". The Washington Post. September 6, 2013.
7. "The Running Store City-County Championship - Complete Results". MileStat.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
8. "Gojekian Twilight Classic - Complete Results". MileStat.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
9. "Garfield Meet - Complete Results". MileStat.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
10. Da'Shawn Hand. Rivals.yahoo.com (April 20, 2011). Retrieved July 19, 2013.
11. Friedman, Adam (February 4, 2013) Junior of the Year: Da'Shawn Hand. Footballrecruiting.rivals.com. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
12. Parker, Brandon (November 14, 2013). "Woodbridge DE Da'Shawn Hand commits to Alabama". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
13. VanHaaren, Tom (November 14, 2013). "Alabama beefs up No. 1 class with DE Hand". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
14. Scalici, Matt (November 20, 2013). "Alabama took unique approach in recruitment of Da'Shawn Hand". AL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
15. "Alabama football: Nick Saban expects Da'Shawn Hand to return to practice during bye week". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
16. "Da'Shawn Hand College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
17. "Da'Shawn Hand Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
18. "Alabama DE DaShawn Hand : 2018 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
19. Schalter, Ty (April 28, 2018). "Lions trade up with Patriots, draft DL Da'Shawn Hand". Lions Wire. USA Today. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
20. Inabinett, Mark (October 10, 2018). "Rookie Da'Shawn Hand on strip-sack streak for Lions". AL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
21. "Rookie Da'Shawn Hand grinds his way to sacks, starts with Detroit Lions". AL.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
22. "Lions place DL Da'Shawn Hand on Reserve/Injured". DetroitLions.com. December 18, 2018.
23. "Lions place Da'Shawn Hand on injured reserve". Lions Wire. December 12, 2019.
24. "Detroit Lions place DT Da'Shawn Hand on injured reserve, activate OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai". Detroit Free Press. December 19, 2020.
25. "Lions announce roster moves". DetroitLions.com. September 2, 2021.
26. Schlitt, Erik (November 30, 2021). "Report: Lions to release Da'Shawn Hand from IR with an injury settlement". Pride Of Detroit. SB Nation. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
27. "Colts Sign DT Da'Shawn Hand To Practice Squad, Release CB Darqueze Dennard From Practice Squad". Colts.com. December 21, 2021.
28. Wyatt, Jim (January 5, 2022). "Titans Add TE Ryan Izzo to Active Roster, DL Da'Shawn Hand to Practice Squad". TennesseeTitans.com.
29. Moraitis, Mike (February 15, 2022). "Titans sign DL Da'Shawn Hand to futures contract". Titans Wire. USA Today. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
30. "Roster Moves: Titans Place DL Da'Shawn Hand, DB A.J. Moore Jr. on Injured Reserve". TennesseeTitans.com. September 13, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
31. "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. August 6, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
32. "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. August 29, 2023.
33. "Miami Dolphins Sign Eight to Practice Squad". MiamiDolphins.com. August 30, 2023.
34. "Miami Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. September 16, 2023.
35. "Miami Dolphins Re-Sign Da'Shawn Hand". MiamiDolphins.com. March 18, 2024.

External links

• Da'Shawn Hand on Twitter
• Miami Dolphins bio
• Alabama Crimson Tide bio