Kenny Pickett's hands measure just 8 1/2 inches, which might affect draft stock

Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett is considered one of the top prospects in the 2022 NFL draft. He's the type of player capable of developing into a superstar and making his team a perennial contender once he gets settled in.

At least, Pickett was all those things before he received an extremely low hand measurement at the NFL combine Thursday. Pickett's hands measured just 8 1/2 inches, which would be the lowest in the NFL at the position.

Pickett's hand size has been a worry for months. He compensated by wearing two gloves on his throwing hand during games. Pickett drew more attention to his hand size at the Senior Bowl, where he declined to have his hands measured, citing a double-jointed thumb.

Pickett excelled in 2021 anyway, throwing 42 touchdowns against seven interceptions at Pitt. He was considered a potential top-10 draft pick in the 2022 NFL draft prior to the hand measurement, per Yahoo Sports draft expert Eric Edholm. Pickett could drop after Thursday's measurement, though that's dependent on whether teams feel hand size is important for quarterbacks.

Does hand size matter for NFL quarterbacks?

NFL teams generally consider nine-inch hands to be the floor for passers. That number may have changed over the years as Alex Smith and his 9 1/8 inch hands were a talking point prior to the 2005 NFL draft. After a slow start to his career, Smith emerged as an effective player and made three Pro Bowls.

The bar for acceptable hand size may have dropped thanks to Joe Burrow, who joked about retiring after his hands measured nine inches in 2020.

Burrow's hands didn't seem to hold him back in 2021, when he tossed 34 touchdowns against 14 interceptions and led the Cincinnati Bengals to the Super Bowl.

Those who worry about quarterback hand size claim quarterbacks with smaller hands have more issues with ball security. Pickett did fumble 26 times in college, and some cite that as a reason for concern when he gets to the NFL. Pickett played in 52 games in college, a high figure. Peyton Manning, who started most of his college career, playing in 45 games at Tennessee.

Additionally, it's unclear whether having small hands results in more fumbles. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was credited with 14 fumbles in 2021. His hands measured 10 7/8 inches at the NFL combine. Burrow, meanwhile, had five fumbles.

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones led the league with 19 fumbles in 2019 and his hands measured 9 3/4 inches. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, whose hands measured 9 1/4 inches, fumbled just 3 times in 2019.

The notion that players with smaller hands fumble more doesn't hold up under scrutiny. Some players might be prone to fumbling more often than others, but it doesn't appear hand size is the reason for that.

Still, Pickett might see his draft stock drop based on that measurement. Some NFL teams may still cling to the belief that quarterbacks need bigger hands. Ultimately, though, it only takes one team to believe in Pickett's ability. Given his college production, it would be tough to see Pickett drop significantly because his hands are small compared to most quarterbacks.