Dubois may be lacking speed NFL wants, but oh, those hands

By Jerry Ratcliffe

During a time when most of America is on lockdown, including college football players, perhaps the NFL scouts and general managers will be tested to look beyond the measurable numbers and take a deeper view at some of the prospects.

Maybe not.

One of my gripes about the NFL Draft over the years has been that front offices are more concerned with how fast a player’s 40 time is, how many times he can bench press 250 pounds in a row and what his vertical jump is than what he has accomplished on the football field.

That brings us to Virginia wide receiver Hasise Dubois. Maybe he’s not the fastest guy in the country and didn’t get to show anyone his 40 time due to all the Pro Days cancelled around the country. Speed is nice, but it’s not everything.

But those hands … oh my, those hands.

Dubois led the nation in most catchable passes without a drop. That’s zero drops for the entire 2019 season when he terrorized ACC secondaries with his sticky fingers. Just ask Florida’s Gators, who watched as the Cavalier senior snatched 10 catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns against them in the Orange Bowl.

Dubois, at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, was one of four receivers in the FBS with 100-plus targets, at least a 70-percent catch rate and 10-plus yards per target.

Yet, as we’ve scoured the world wide web, we can’t find Dubois on any NFL Draft board. To me, he’s the perfect fit for an offense like the New England Patriots as a possession receiver that makes huge catches at crucial moments.

😈😈 https://t.co/tv0a7sErXu

— Mr. St.Patrick 👻 (@DuBois_5k) August 18, 2019

He accounted for 1,062 receiving yards and six touchdowns last season for the Wahoos, and we know he’s one of the Good Hands People. The NFL has questions about his speed.

Dubois is hoping that working out back home in New Jersey with his brother, professional track sprinter Ishmeal Robbins, may provide an answer.

“I feel as though it gives me a big advantage because some of the workouts he has me doing, I doubt anybody else is doing right now,” Dubois said in a recent video conference with media. “He doesn’t take it easy because he knows I don’t run track. He keeps the same emphasis on everything as if he’s running. I feel as though doing all these track workouts will make me stronger, have better endurance and I think it’ll work out for the best for me.”

Meanwhile, Dubois is working with someone else on running pass routes.

“Between both of those I’m trying to get as much work in as possible with all the gyms and everything being closed,” he said.

Because the UVA Pro Day was cancelled on April 8 due to the pandemic, Dubois never had the opportunity to be timed in the 40. He had hoped to show scouts that he’s fast enough.

“[Scouts] were worried about the speed part of my game. I feel as though there’s a gray area there so no one would ever know. I just have to have faith in my senior film and hope for the best.”

Dubois said that film will show that there were plays this past season that reveal how he possessed enough of a burst to run away from defenders, which should give him a boost if there are teams considering drafting him.

If scouts pay attention to the film, they’ll see that for whatever Dubois may lack in speed, he more than makes up for with his hands. He admitted that the streak became important to him once he finally learned of it.

“Honestly, I really didn’t know until about halfway through the streak,” he said. “Someone put it up on Twitter, and it was like I had 56 [catches without a drop] in a row. From there, like everyone would just joke about it in the locker room or meetings or whatever.

“So I was like, I haven’t dropped a pass yet and just got to focus up and kept stacking success for myself. I mean, [keeping the streak going] was hard. It was fun as well. I felt like all my drops came in practice.”

A lot of that focus and success was influenced by Virginia wide receivers coach Marques Hagans, a former Cavalier quarterback who has turned out some successful pass catchers during his time back in the program.

“Honestly, my four years here at UVA, I feel as though if there was no Coach Hagans, there would be no Hasise Dubois,” the graduated wideout said. “There has been a lot of change in my corner. He’s helped me a lot. There have been times where I’ve messed up and he’s been the only person to believe in me at that moment. He just pushed me to a level that I didn’t know I could reach.”