Sports

Kenny Pickett’s Tiny Hands Don’t Bode Well For Him Historically After Below-Average Measurement

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With the NFL Combine underway from Indianapolis, projected first round pick Kenny Pickett is leading headlines with his small hands. The former Pittsburgh quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist had his hands measured on Thursday and he is in elite company, kind of.

At the Reese’s Senior Bowl back in January, Pickett refused to have his hands measured. He claimed that he was working on exercises to improve his measurement because he is double-jointed.

Hand size, particularly with quarterbacks, is one of the intangibles that NFL scouts look for in a prospect. You know what they say — big hands mean …

… that a quarterback can grip the ball better, has more control of the football and can get more spin and velocity on a pass.

At least, that’s what they say, right?

Well, whatever they say, Pickett does not have big hands. He has tiny hands.

The standard mark for quarterback hand size is typically nine inches. Anything larger than nine inches is usually considered acceptable, while nine inches or less cause concern. It might sound silly, because it is, but that’s how it has always been and seems like it always will be.

Pickett’s measurement on Thursday came in at less than nine inches and by a significant margin.

While hand size may not seem like a big deal, there is some legitimate cause for concern with Pickett. He wears two gloves on his hands at all times during games — something that is not common for quarterbacks — and there is belief that it is to help him make up some grip where his tiny hands cannot.

In addition, Pickett fumbled a lot while in college. Tiny hands = poor grip = fumbles.

Regardless of your belief on whether hand size really plays a factor or not, Pickett’s hands are undeniably small. He and Michael Vick have that in common, however, it does not bode well for him historically.

Pickett is considered to be one of the top-three quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft. It will be interesting to see if or how his small hands factor into his draft stock.