The NFL Combine has turned into a must-see event with enormous marketing potential for the league. At the end of the day, it’s still about the players and gaining more data and information that can be compared to historical trends of those who have gone through the process in years past.
As part of a broad testing and evaluation program, which players tipped the scales with the largest and smallest hand size measurements of all time?
Biggest NFL Hand Sizes and Measurements of All Time
Similar to other events, some players elect to skip some measurements, including having their hand or arm size measured. Typically, that comes from a player’s camp who is worried they might come in a bit lower than expected, which could alter their perceived NFL Draft stock.
That hasn’t been the case for everyone, especially those on the other side of this who set records when they went through the measurement process.
Currently, the largest hand measurement in NFL Combine history is 11.75 inches, shared by DL DeForest Buckner, OT Gosder Cherilus, and TE Mo Alie-Cox.
Smallest NFL Hand Sizes and Measurements of All Time
Yet, as we’ve seen in years past, it tends to be the ones on the opposite end of the scale who get the publicity. In a league where some of the biggest people walking the planet are playing, being on the “smaller” end of NFL Combine hand measurements is noteworthy.
On average, most use the 9″ threshold as the benchmark for where teams like to see a player measure in, but that certainly can vary, as was the case for UDFA RB Kennedy Brooks out of Oklahoma. Undrafted in the 2022 draft class, Brooks came in with 7 5/8″ hands.
Brooks has spent time bouncing between practice squads and is now a player for the Memphis Showboats of the UFL.
Which QB Has the Smallest Hands Ever?
For a while, New Orleans Saints QB/TE/RB/WR Taysom Hill was the record holder for the smallest hand size at 8 3/4″, but this was never truly an issue since Hill has operated as an offensive weapon rather than a primary QB.
The smallest hand size for a quarterback prospect was former Princeton signal-caller Kevin Davidson, coming in with 8 1/4″ arms in the 2020 NFL Draft. Davidson went undrafted that year, spending a brief time with the Browns before being waived.
In 2022, former Pitt Panther — and current Pittsburgh Steeler — Kenny Pickett measured in at 8 1/2″. Pickett was known for wearing two gloves in college and has noted it helps him grip the ball, something we had seen previously with Teddy Bridgewater.
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Working in his favor, Pickett is double-jointed in his hands, meaning his thumb can slide a bit lower, helping to create more space to grip the ball. However, it is worth noting that Pickett had 38 fumbles while in college.
This clearly was not a concern for the Steelers, who selected the hometown player with the No. 20 overall pick, making him the first QB selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.
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