One of the biggest stories during the 2022 NFL Draft involved Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett and how his hand size could affect his play at the next level. Pickett was drafted 20th overall and would eventually make his way into the starting role after the Steelers decided to bench Mitchell Trubisky. The more he played, the more he would improve throughout the season and left a promising mark on the city of Pittsburgh and convinced everyone that he is the future of the organization.
Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) winds up to make a throw during 2022 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Pickett Falls Right Into Steelers' Laps
One crazy thing with his small hands is the fact that some teams actually passed up on Pickett in the draft due to his hand size which led him to fall right into the Steelers' lap. Recently, Pickett joined Ben Roethlisberger's podcast Footbahlin and discussed how big of an issue this was going through the draft process.
"There were teams that [said] 'if you're not at nine inches for your hands hands], you're just off the board' and those teams were high (in the draft)."
Looking back at it, three of the top four picks could have potentially had an interest in Pickett and passed on selecting him due to his hand size. The Houston Texans, Detroit Lions and New York Jets could have all been possibilities of as they didn't have a firm starting talent at the time.
Photo Credit John McGonigal / Pittsburgh Post Gazette
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected quarterback Kenny Pickett with the 20th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
With teams letting Pickett know that they would not select him because he had smaller hands, Pickett noted that one of the things that he would do is wear a splint and stretch out his hands to make them as big as possible. It ended up working as his hand would grow just a little bit. This was Pickett doing whatever he could to go as high as possible.
"If a team comes to you and they are high in the draft, you want to go as high as possible. Alright, it is what it is I have to try and do what I can to get there. I'll do whatever it takes. I think I throw it alright, but you have to get to that number that some teams have a set thing."
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) throws a deep ball down the sidelines while warming up for a 2022 matchup.
All of this extra measurement stuff begs the question; does it matter? The short answer is that it doesn't matter as long as you can go out and put on a performance, then who cares what your measurements are.
Look at the 2023 first overall pick in the entire NFL Draft, Bryce Young. He is 5'10", which is severely undersized for the quarterback position, but he is a winner and balls out on the football field. The same can be said with Pickett as well, as long as he can play the part, who cares?
Pickett has the mentality to be great with what we saw down the stretch with him. Talent wise, he has proven that he can be a star in the league.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium.
With Pickett going into his second season, all eyes are going to be on him in 2023. It will be be a great year for him to prove everyone wrong that hand size doesn't matter.
So, what do you think Steeler Nation? Does hand size matter for a quarterback? Let me know in the comments below!
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