QB Kenny Pickett registers Eight half inch hand measurement at NFL mix

INDIANAPOLIS — It’s hands-down probably the most digested, critiqued and eyebrow-raising quantity hooked up to NFL quarterback prospects every year. And on Tuesday on the annual mix for the very best gamers within the nation, former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett grew to become the most recent high-profile passer to have his hand dimension turn into a part of his pre-draft windup.

Pickett’s proper hand was measured at Eight half inches, which might be the smallest of any quarterback at the moment within the NFL.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill, whose fingers have been measured at Eight 3/Four inches main as much as the 2017 draft, has the smallest of the signal-callers, adopted by Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback Brandon Allen, whose fingers have been measured at Eight half inches on the 2016 Senior Bowl. Allen, who told ESPN’s David Fleming in February 2020 that he did hand workouts and used a stretching/therapeutic massage routine following the Senior Bowl, later had his hand measured at Eight 7/Eight inches on the 2016 mix.

Pickett, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist and received the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award in 2021, is seen as a possible first-round decide coming into the mix. He’s the No. 1 quarterback and No. 19 prospect general on Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board, whereas he’s the No. 2 quarterback (behind Liberty’s Malik Willis) at No. 19 prospect general in Todd McShay’s Scouts Inc. rankings.

Pickett participated within the Senior Bowl in Cell, Alabama, final month, however he elected to not get an official measurement for his fingers. He mentioned then that he’ll attempt to enhance his hand mobility by way of stretches forward of the mix.

“The rationale I did not measure on the Senior Bowl was simply to have these additional couple weeks, simply type of a standard sense factor, to have extra time working the workouts,” Pickett mentioned Wednesday in Indianapolis. “No matter it measures, it measures, I am certain that will not be the tip of it, however that would be the final measurement I am certain I am going to take of it.”

He completed his faculty profession with probably the most 300-yard passing video games (16) and most 400-yard passing video games (5) in class historical past. Pitt went 32-17 within the video games Pickett began. Pitt received the ACC championship sport Dec. 4, 45-21 over Wake Forest as Pickett completed with 20-of-33 passing for 253 yards and two touchdowns to go together with a 58-yard landing run.

“The tape is your résumé, the remainder of these items is simply a part of the bins you must test,” Pickett mentioned. “There hasn’t been a lot speak about [his hand size] within the formal interviews that I’ve had.”

Bengals star Joe Burrow, who superior to his first Tremendous Bowl final month, spent loads of time main as much as the 2020 draft answering questions about his hand measurement of 9 inches on the mix. He joked on Twitter that he was “contemplating retirement after I used to be knowledgeable the soccer will probably be slipping out of my tiny fingers.” He went No. 1 general within the draft.

In reviewing data from the mix because it moved to Indianapolis in 1987, Jeff Blake, Michael Vick and Kliff Kingsbury had their fingers measured at Eight ½ inches on the mix. On the opposite aspect of the controversy, the most important fingers amongst present quarterbacks belong to the Seattle Seahawks‘ Russell Wilson (10 1/Four inches), adopted by the Green Bay Packers‘ Aaron Rodgers (10 1/8) and Buffalo Bills‘ Josh Allen (10 1/8).

The common hand dimension for the 39 quarterbacks taken within the first spherical from 2008-2020 is 9 7/10 inches, in accordance with ESPN Stats & Data. The signal-caller with the most important fingers of that group was Mark Sanchez in 2009 (10 half), whereas the smallest amongst that group is 9 inches by Burrow, Ryan Tannehill and Jared Goff. Hill didn’t participate within the mix in 2017.