AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman
Kenny Pickett knows he will eventually have his hands measured ahead of the 2022 NFL draft, but he chose not to go through the process during the Senior Bowl weigh-in and will instead focus on mobility stretches leading up to the NFL Scouting Combine next month at Lucas Oil Stadium.
He also believes that playing his collegiate football at Pittsburgh proved his hand size shouldn’t be a significant concern.
“I think that’s like the No. 1 thing for quarterbacks in the draft process every year is hand size,” Pickett said Tuesday, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “The good news is that I play in Pittsburgh. Anyone that’s been to Pittsburgh knows it’s not the nicest place to play in October, November.
“So I’ve had experience playing in tough weather, and I didn’t measure in this week. I just want to give the most measurement I can. I’m working on mobility things.”
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero added more context to the quarterback’s decision:
Tom Pelissero @TomPelissero
Pitt QB Kenny Pickett didn’t have his hands measured here in Mobile, but he has a good reason: He’s double jointed, so his thumb naturally points an odd direction, and he’s doing extra exercises to get an accurate measurement at the combine in March. <a href=”https://t.co/KLMdraG9AC”>pic.twitter.com/KLMdraG9AC</a>
Few players improved their draft stock more during the 2021 season than Pickett, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist and completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards, 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
He led the Panthers to their first ACC championship by throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns in the conference title game win over Wake Forest.
Pittsburgh finished with 11 wins and reached the mark for the first time since the 1981 campaign.
Pickett also timed his breakout campaign well considering this year’s quarterback class is considered relatively weaker than those in years past. That means he could hear his name called fairly early in the first round if he impresses during the predraft process.
B/R’s NFL Scouting Department listed the Pittsburgh product as the second-best quarterback in the class behind Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder on its big board on Jan. 7, while ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Pickett as the No. 16 overall player in this draft.
Nobody has truly separated themselves in a quarterback class that includes Ridder, Pickett, Ole Miss’ Matt Corral, Liberty’s Malik Willis and North Carolina’s Sam Howell, meaning every detail will be scrutinized ahead of April’s draft in Paradise, Nevada.
Hand size is a major detail for quarterbacks, as NFL teams look for players who will not have fumble issues in poor weather, and Pickett’s measurements will be firmly under the spotlight after he opted out of the process at the Senior Bowl.
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