Pittsburgh HC Pat Narduzzi: Kenny Pickett hand size worries 'a complete joke'

Former Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback and projected first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett failed his first task at the Senior Bowl in the eyes of some when he elected against having his hands measured so he can work on exercises related to his double-jointed thumb that ideally will lead to a better measurement at the upcoming NFL Combine. 

Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi spoke with ESPN's Andrea Adelson on Wednesday and scoffed at the notion the Heisman Trophy finalist may struggle to protect the football in NFL games due to his alleged undersized hands. 

"It's a complete joke, measuring this, measuring that," Narduzzi explained. "If they want to measure anything, what they should do is do open heart surgery, go check and see how big that chest cavity is and how big the heart is inside that chest, if you really want to analyze. What are we talking about? There's nobody out there who's going to play harder and put everything he's got into it than Kenny Pickett. This kid doesn't have a flaw. That's what (scouts) do. It's the same thing at the combine, they're going to find something else to pick on him.

"It's not going to be a factor."

For a piece published on Jan. 24, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. noted "some teams could be scared away" once they learn of Pickett's hand size at the combine. Kiper, four CBS Sports analysts and NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah are nevertheless among the many insiders predicting such worries won't prevent at least one team from spending a first-round selection to land Pickett on April 28. 

Kiper has compared Pickett to a "combo of Derek Carr/Andy Dalton," and Charlie Campbell of Walter Football lists the former Pitt signal-caller as the top prospect at the position in his draft class.