Hands down, Kenny Pickett's finger span to be scrutinized by talent evaluators at NFL Combine

Of all the measurements, tests and times that will be recorded this week at the NFL Combine, perhaps the most anticipated one won’t be produced in the 40-yard dash. It won’t be found in the number of bench press reps or the height of a vertical jump.

It will take place when former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett stretches his right hand and is measured from the tip of his pinky finger to the tip of his thumb.

After emerging as a Heisman Trophy finalist in his final season with the Panthers, Pickett is considered the top quarterback prospect in the Class of 2022. One drawback, though, is the size of the 23-year-old passer’s hands.

Pickett’s hands are viewed as smaller than perhaps any quarterback prospect in recent memory, and he only added to the mystery when he declined to have his right hand measured four weeks ago at the Senior Bowl. Pickett said he is double-jointed, which has restricted the span of his hand. He spent time since the senior showcase doing stretching exercises designed to increase his width.

“The hand size stuff, I’m sure we’re all braced for that,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said Friday. “That’s going to be a big discussion.”

It was a topic of discussion when Joe Burrow arrived at the combine in 2020. Burrow’s right hand measured nine inches, which matches some of the smallest figures recorded for quarterback prospects at the event.

After the measurement, Burrow tweeted he was “considering retirement after I was informed the football will be slipping out of my tiny hands.”

Burrow’s hand size, of course, didn’t prevent the Cincinnati Bengals from selecting him with the No. 1 overall pick. And nobody is concerned about that measurement now that Burrow has led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in his second NFL season.

Draft analysts expect Pickett to be the first quarterback taken in what is viewed as an average class regardless of his hand size measurement.

“I’ve seen a lot of late bloomers,” Jeremiah said. “Joe Burrow is the poster child. He’s not Joe, but he’s somebody who got it figured out with the benefit of time, rest and help.”

Pickett’s hand size wasn’t an issue in his final year at Pitt when he led the Panthers to an ACC championship by throwing for 4,319 yards with 42 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions.

“I would say it was pretty much put to bed with most of the teams that I’ve talked to,” Jeremiah said. “I don’t know that anybody really cared about it.”

Concerns surfaced when Pickett had difficulty with his accuracy during a rainy practice session at the Senior Bowl, which was conducted with prospects using the NFL football that is slightly larger than the NCAA version.

“I think there’s at least a curiosity I would say to see what it looks like, what his hand size looks like,” Jeremiah said. “But it’s kind of unique, a unique situation, because he’s double-joined. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a situation where the quarterback — having this type of discussion about his hands, because it’s not just the size. It’s a little bit different.”

Plenty of quarterbacks have prospered despite not having hands the size of Dak Prescott, whose right hand measured 10.88 inches, or Brett Favre (10.38) or Russell Wilson (10.25).

Michael Vick was the first overall pick in 2001 despite having 8.5-inch hands. Jared Goff — also a No. 1 overall selection — and Ryan Tannehill join Burrow in having 9-inch hands.

In fact, none of the famed trio from the 2004 draft class had his hands measure even 9.5 inches. Ben Roethlisberger led the group at 9.38 inches, followed by Philip Rivers at 9.25 and Eli Manning at 9.13. And the most prolific passer of all time, Tom Brady, had the same measurement as Roethlisberger.

“We do every measurable known,” said Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, whose team has the No. 20 pick, “and sometimes those things are misleading.”

When it comes to small hand size, Colbert brings up former Detroit Lions wide receiver Herman Moore. Colbert was the pro scouting director with the Lions when they took Moore with the No. 10 overall pick in 1991. In a 12-year NFL career, Moore caught 670 passes for 9,174 yards and 62 touchdowns. He set an NFL record with 123 receptions in 1995.

“His hands measured eight and a half, and Herman Moore had great hands,” Colbert said. “Well, Herman couldn’t spread his fingers, but his fingers were very long. So sometimes we get caught up in that. I look more at statistics. From a fumble standpoint, how did the player lose the ball, if he fumbled it? How is he delivering (the ball)? Does it get to where it needs to get to? So, sure, we look and take in as much information as we can.”

Smallish hands didn’t deter Colbert from using mid-round draft picks on Mason Rudolph in 2018, Joshua Dobbs in 2017 and Landry Jones in 2014. Dobbs had 9.25-inch hands, followed by Jones at 9.18 and Rudolph at 9.13.

Jeremiah expects Pickett’s experience to be the determining factor in his first-round draft status. Pickett had the benefit of playing five college seasons after taking advantage of the covid-19 policy that provided an extra year of eligibility.

Pickett will turn 24 before he attends his first NFL training camp.

“To me, he is somebody when you watch all these guys and you kind of watch them all one after another, he’s just different with how quickly he operates,” Jeremiah said, “just getting through his progressions, getting the ball where it needs to be.

“He doesn’t have ‘wow’ arm strength. He doesn’t blow you away with that, but he’s got really good vision. He throws with anticipation and timing. I think he’d be ready to come in and play right away.”