Steelers shouldn’t worry about QB Kenny Pickett’s hand size

Kenny Pickett declining to get his hands measured has sparked up plenty of debate over whether or not his hands are too small to play quarterback in the NFL.

There was already some concern about Kenny Pickett’s hand-size entering the draft process, but his declining to get his hands measured while at the Senior Bowl this week has caused some concern and discussion.

Quarterback is the most important position in football, and thus teams look into every little thing about the prospects that they are interested in. While they do this with every position, the little things are magnified and spoken about constantly within the media and around the league but are particularly nitpicky with a quarterback.

Pickett’s reasoning for not getting his hand measured was that his thumb is double-jointed and thus there wouldn’t be an accurate measurement of his hand size right now. So between now and the combine he and his camp will be looking into how to stretch out his hand in order to get a more accurate measurement. This will be something that the Steelers’ brass will surely keep a close eye on.

In the grand scheme of things, play on the field is the only thing that truly matters.

Every year some of the top prospects either rise on draft boards, or tumble down draft boards due to measurements, or things that they can or can’t do in shorts at the NFL Scouting Combine. While those things may be flashy and partially useful, they don’t show what a player can actually do on the field.

Players such as John Ross rose up draft boards due to lightning speeds in the 40-yard dash, while players like Cooper Kupp didn’t go until the third round due to lack of speed in the draft process. Clearly, tape matters a lot more than measurements and combine drills, and this is something teams need to keep in mind this time of year

There are plenty of quarterbacks who have small hands, and a few years ago, height was a major factor among quarterbacks, but now with Russell Wilson, Drew Brees, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, and others showing the capability to play at the highest level, that question doesn’t arise like it once did.

As for quarterbacks with small hands, Joe Burrow tweeted during the draft process making fun of the narrative that quarterbacks with small hands, saying:

"“Considering retirement after I was informed the football will be slipping out of my tiny hands. Please keep me in your thoughts.”"

Obviously, Burrow worked out just fine as he has led his team to the Super Bowl in just his second season in the NFL. But he is not the only quarterback who faced similar skepticism. Patrick Mahomes, Teddy Bridgewater, Tony Romo, and many others have played in the NFL to varying levels of success despite criticisms about their hand sizes.

While it remains to be seen how Kenny Pickett will be at the next level, one thing is for sure hand size isn’t the end all be all when it comes to evaluating him. While the Steelers may keep this in the back of their minds, if they are impressed with how he performs at the Senior Bowl, his tape, and how he conducts himself in interviews with the team brass, then they should definitely still be interested in him as a quarterback prospect.

Ultimately what the player shows you he can do matters way more than any measurement or a number they put up in a drill in shorts.