Senior Bowl Quarterback Scouting Day 1: Notes from Official Senior Bowl Measurements

Senior Bowl Measurements were a success and some of the quarterbacks had some interesting numbers. We break down the wildest numbers

While most years, I spend the collegiate all-star games looking for which day three quarterback can rise to day two as Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond did last season at the Senior Bowl, these events hardly ever impact positioning among prospective first-round Quarterbacks. This year is the noted exception because in a year with virtually no consensus, six of the top seven quarterbacks have gathered in Mobile, Alabama for the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

With Sam Howell, Kenny Pickett, Carson Strong, Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis and Bailey Zappe in one place, right next to each other in real practice and game environments each day will bring an opportunity for the prospects to separate themselves from the pack. Even Day 1: Measurement Day. Here are some notes from day 1.

Kenny Pickett’s hands

Pittsburgh Senior Kenny Pickett’s hand size has been the subject of much speculation and was the biggest story leading into measurement day in Mobile. For all the questions and speculation about the size of his hands, we ended up getting no answers as Pickett refused to allow the senior bowl staff to measure his hands. The measurement is completely optional and Pickett for his part said that he refused due to a double-jointed thumb that he is working to straighten to get an accurate measurement. He has indicated that he will measure at the combine.

If Pickett’s hands are in fact historically small as rumored, sitting out the measurement for now could be a great move. If he proves he can throw an NFL ball this week, its going to make people much less concerned about his hand size.

Sam Howell comes up a bit small

Since Pickett refused the hand measurement, my eyes turned to Sam Howell who both measured a bit shorter than expected (6-0) and with hands a bit on the smaller side (9 & 1/8 inches). Neither of these measurements is a concern for me. He cleared the six-foot threshold for height and the 9 inch threshold for hands, which is more than big enough in the modern NFL. Weighing in at 221lbs was a positive however, because he tends to run with some power.

Desmond Ridder: The good and the bad

Ridder comes in with great height at 6-3, but is a bit thin at only 207lbs. You’d like to see him be a bit heavier at his height, considering his mobility. On a positive note, his hand size (10 inches) is not only the largest among senior bowl quarterback prospects, but would be tied with Dak Prescott for largest in the NFL.

Here are is the full list of measurements for senior bowl quarterback prospects.