The NFL Combine has long been an event for NFL teams to help evaluate up-and-coming prospects ahead of the NFL Draft each year. And whether it is fair or not, narratives often follow quarterback prospects in particular based on some of their measurables that are taken at the combine.
A big talking point each year at the combine is the hand size of quarterback prospects. It’s not foolproof, but quarterbacks with bigger hands have been thought to have a significant advantage in terms of ball security at the NFL level compared to prospects with smaller hands.
Quarterback measurements were taken on Saturday, which created some interesting narratives around the top quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy measured in at 9-inch hands, the smallest of any quarterback currently projected to be an early-round pick at the position. North Carolina’s Drake Maye also measured in on the smaller side of things with 9 1/8-inch hands.
2024 #NFLCombine key measurements thread…
166. #Michigan QB JJ McCarthy
Height: 6-2 4/8
Weight: 219
Arm: 31 5/8
Hand: 9
Wingspan: 75 7/8— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 2, 2024
2024 #NFLCombine key measurements thread…
167. #NorthCarolina QB Drake Maye
Height: 6-4 3/8
Weight: 223
Arm: 32 2/8
Hand: 9 1/8
Wingspan: 76 1/8— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 2, 2024
Meanwhile, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. measured in with the largest hands of the top quarterbacks with 10.5-inch hands. Oregon’s Bo Nix also measured favorably with 10 1/8-inch hands.
2024 #NFLCombine key measurements thread…
169. #Washington QB Michael Penix
Height: 6-2 2/8
Weight: 216
Arm: 33.62
Hand: 10.5
Wingspan: 81— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 2, 2024
2024 #NFLCombine key measurements thread…
168. #Oregon QB Bo Nix
Height: 6-2 1/8
Weight: 214
Arm: 30 7/8
Hand: 10 1/8
Wingspan: 74 2/8— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 2, 2024
Projected No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams was smack dab in the middle with 9.75-inch hands.
2024 #NFLCombine key measurements thread…
170. #USC QB Caleb Williams
Height: 6-1 1/8
Weight: 214
Arm: 32
Hand: 9.75
Wingspan: 75.88— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 2, 2024
Again, there are plenty of examples where quarterback prospects with smaller hands end up having great NFL careers. Just look at Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes, who measured in at 9-inch and 9.25-inch hands respectively.
Regardless, the small hands narrative is very real amongst NFL fans. And McCarthy and Maye in particular have received criticism from NFL fans on social media following this discovery.
Love him as a prospect but gotta say it. Drake Maye. Small hands.
— Chris Trapasso 🏈 (@ChrisTrapasso) March 2, 2024
J.J. McCarthy coming in at 219 pounds should quiet some of the size concerns. Was listed as 202 pounds on Michigan's roster last year.
Nine-inch hands could be the next concern. Sixth-percentile hand size — same as Joe Burrow. https://t.co/iR1shyOXZb
— Zachary Krueger (@ZK_FFB) March 2, 2024
Everything good but the hands..
— Jordancole_11 (@11Jordancole) March 2, 2024
Small Hand Club…..not great.
219lbs….up 20lbs from his Michigan season https://t.co/RH0D4A13fy
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) March 2, 2024
Surely everyone will be calm and won't overreact about JJ McCarthy having small hands for an NFL QB right…. right?!?! https://t.co/xnEtRavZYv
— Dalton Feely (@dfeely14) March 2, 2024
Will this narrative actually affect the draft stock of either Maye or McCarthy? Who knows. But at the very least, this will almost certainly be a talking point throughout much of the pre-draft process.