QB Kenny Pickett dismisses concerns over hand size

The days surrounding the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine bring with them conversations about hand-sizes for quarterbacks and discussions on whether or not those signal-callers will be able to protect the football while facing top-tier pass-rushes and competing in cold-weather situations such as January playoff games. 

As Chase Goodbread wrote for the NFL's website, former Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback and projected first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett didn't have his hands measured at the Senior Bowl and instead will wait until the combine so he can perform exercises that will "develop a more accurate measurement" as it pertains to his double-jointed thumb. Pickett spoke on Tuesday about his alleged small hands and reminded everybody he's used to playing in some nasty conditions. 

"I think that's like the No. 1 thing for quarterbacks in the draft process every year is hand size," Pickett said, according to 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."

In his big board updated last week, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. listed Pickett No. 16 overall among prospects. 

"As of now, he's the guy I feel most comfortable about as an NFL starter," Kiper said of Pickett. "My comp for him has been a combo of Derek Carr/Andy Dalton, and NFL teams can win with that kind of guy. As I mentioned in my mock draft, hand size is an issue, and some teams could be scared away from that, because he's expected to have below nine-inch hands, which has been one of the benchmarks for quarterbacks." 

Bleacher Report's Timothy Rapp noted Kiper said during Monday's edition of ESPN's "First Draft" that teams he's thus far spoken with aren't concerned about Pickett's hand size.