Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh records one of the smallest QB hand size measurements in collecting history

A month after delaying his hand measurement at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Thursday’s moment of truth came for Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Unsurprisingly, Beckett’s hand size came in at 8.5 inches, which is the smallest on record for a quarterback’s hand size in NFL history, according to NFL analyst Warren Sharp.

Perspective on 8.5″ Beckett’s hands

Of the 663 QBs with hand sizes measured since 1987, only 9 have hands smaller than 8.5 inches

There is no QB in the NFL with an 8.5 inch hand

There has been no QB to enter the NFL in at least 5 years in the 8.5 inch distribution

Mike Vic was the last successful 8.5 inch hand

Warren Sharp ( SharpFootball ) March 3, 2022

These numbers are somewhat unbelievable to look at. Only nine players out of 663 measured since 1987 had their hands smaller than 8.5 inches. No quarterback in the NFL currently has 8.5-inch hands, including none entering the league in the past five years. The last QB with 8.5-inch hands was a successful superstar at Mike Vick in Atlanta.

So, there’s definitely hope for Beckett after all, unless you read Twitter and see people actually write him off for a measure that generally doesn’t meet the bottom line.

He sure wouldn’t let it bother him moving forward.

“No, that’s what it is. I think the media works with it more than I can tell NFL teams,” Beckett said. According to a report from The Associated Press Thursday in Indianapolis. “There hasn’t been a lot of talk about it in all of my formal and informal interviews so far this week.”

Beckett raised some eyebrows at Senior Powell when he refused to measure his hands. It’s not uncommon for prospects to do this, and it actually worked in Beckett’s favor because he was said to have gained half an inch the size of his hand due to the exercises.

“The reason I didn’t measure in Senior Ball was to get those two extra weeks,” Beckett said. “Just something that makes sense, having more time to exercise. … Whatever you measure, it measures.”

That’s the approach Beckett has to take, because tape and experience in the field tell the bigger story, rather than some measurements being plugged into a spreadsheet. Understandably, this tiny measure of hand size will push Beckett off some team’s plates, and he understands that. He just lets his play do the talking for him, rather than hand measure.

“The biggest part of the job is your tape,” Beckett said. “There are so many games throughout your career that people can watch. This is your resume. Your tape is your resume. All these other things are the boxes you have to check before you draft.”

The good news, at least outwardly, for a guy like Beckett is that some of the most successful teams in NFL history – including the Pittsburgh Steelers – won’t suddenly change their attitude to a guy because of how big or small his hands are.

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert spoke at length about hand size and the important part it plays – or doesn’t play – in the exploration process from a Steelers perspective while sitting down with local media last week. Colbert, who spent time with the Detroit Lions as a professional scouting manager before becoming the Steelers’ director of football operations, used former Pro Bowl receiver Herman Moore as an example that hand size is not uniform and can be misleading.

“We do every known measurement. Sometimes, these things are misleading,” Colbert said during his media session, according to the official transcript provided by the team. I always tell the story, when people talk about hand size, Herman Moore was a great receiver we had with the Detroit Lions. Hermann Moore was 6 feet 4, but his hands measured 8 1/2. Hermann Moore had great hands. Well, Hermann couldn’t straighten his fingers, but his fingers were too long.

“So, sometimes we get caught up in that. I would look at more stats from an ambiguous point of view,” Colbert added. “How does a player lose the ball if he fumbles? How does he deliver? Are you getting where you should be? We’re taking in as much information as we can, but in general, we’re just going to rate the player overall.”

It is worth noting that according to Athletic Dane Brugler Beckett flopped football 38 times in Pittsburgh over five years.

Joe Burrow’s age was 9 inches – for many teams, that’s the threshold.

IMO, Beckett’s little hands don’t show him as a bystander (most teams feel the same). Ball security is another story (38 Pete’s career flop). https://t.co/gRB3qcGdTS

– Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) March 3, 2022

But, as Bruegler points out, many teams feel that Beckett’s small hand size does not appear with him as a martial, just as he did not appear with Joe Burrow and his 9-inch hands, resulting in an iconic icon. Tweet from Cincinnati QB.

Joe Burrow’s response after measuring his hands at 9 inches in the NFL combine on Monday 😂 pic.twitter.com/Hitw9w8peT

– ESPN (espn) February 24, 2020

Everyone knows how that turned into a future No. 1 pick in 2020. Beckett isn’t at Borough level as a quarterback, but his hand size wouldn’t be a deterrent to him being a top pick in the first round. The tape does not lie.