With Ben Roethlisberger announcing his retirement after the conclusion of last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were in the market for a new quarterback.
They decided to select Kenny Pickett from the University of Pittsburgh with their first round pick, 20th overall. It was the first time they used a first round pick on a quarterback since selecting Big Ben 11th overall in 2004.
Pickett performed well at the NFL Combine before the draft. However, one thing he was being scrutinized over was his hand size. He measured in at 8.5 inches, which by quarterback standards is very small. He is also known for wearing a glove on both of his hands, which is rare for a quarterback.
He discussed his reasoning for doing so on the Pat McAfee show.
“After that UNC game that you called, I stuck with the gloves… It just feels more comfortable and I feel great throwing the ball.”
Some quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have been known to wear a glove on their throwing hand, but it is usually during bad weather games. Pickett performed well at the college level while wearing a glove. And, as he explained in the video above, he is just more comfortable with it than without it.
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Pickett will battle it out this summer with Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph for the starting quarterback position in Pittsburgh. His small hands should not be much of an issue, as the last QB to face this criticism was Joe Burrow, who is the reigning NFL Comeback Player of the Year and just led his team to the Super Bowl.
