LSU quarterback Joe Burrow may not throw this week at the Scouting Combine, but he will be measured.
And that will shine the light on one of the league’s most esoteric objects of fascination.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL, Burrow’s hands measured 9 inches this morning — on the small side for what people want to see in throwers of the football (and certainly comparable to the mitts of the portion of Shaquille O’Neal we were able to squeeze into this frame).
The measurement is taken from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the pinkie, and it actually has a practical application. Quarterbacks with bigger hands ostensibly have a better chance to secure the ball, and throw with more authority in poor weather conditions.
If you’re into conventional measurements, Burrow clocked in at 6-3 1/2, and 221 pounds.
A year ago, people wondered about Kyler Murray‘s hand size, but it turned out to be 9 1/2 inches and he had an OK rookie season. But players can be sensitive about the measurement, and former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen had his massaged and stretched, going from a way-too-small 8 1/2 at the Senior Bowl to a barely adult-sized 8 7/8 by the time he got to the Combine.