NFL Combine: Jared Goff’s hands too small to succeed in NFL?

Hand size has been a huge topic for the top quarterbacks in the NFL Draft and Jared Goff came up just a bit short on the measurements.

For a stretch during the college football season Cal quarterback, Jared Goff was perceived as the top signal-caller in the nation and a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

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Many project him as a top three quarterback prospect, if not second, with a chance to stay inside the top 10. But with the recent combine measurements, Goff has taken some heat. It’s not that he underperformed in any specific drills, it’s his measurables that have general managers across the league concerned.

Checking in at 6-4 and 205 pounds, he fits the mold with the prototypical quarterback size, maybe lacking a small amount of weight on his lean frame. But it’s his hand size that is generating attention. His hand extends out to nine inches, which is one inch short of North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz’ hand, who many believe is the top quarterback in this draft.

Hand size plays a large role at the quarterback position when it comes to gripping the ball, being able to have more control of the ball on the release and when running with the ball, avoiding a strip sack. Weather also plays a role when the rain and snow comes down, making the ball that much more slick, harder to grip and throw.

In his three-year career at California, he had 23 fumbles but had consistently improved his ball control, coughing up the ball 10 times as a freshman, nine as a sophomore and only four this past season. His freshman year the Golden Bears went 1-11 but improved to leading the team to an 8-5 record last season as a junior.

While he might have had trouble holding into the ball, he learned to protect the ball as his years went on. This is a guy who was among the nation’s leaders in pass attempts every year and limited the turnovers.

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While many see Wentz as the number one quarterback, there’s some risk in taking a guy who hasn’t faced high levels of defense playing at North Dakota State on the FCS level.

That’s just a risk teams will have to take. With Goff, he’s proven he can lead a losing team to a big turnaround in a short period, but it’s his hands that will leave teams with question marks, having to take a risk on his measurements.