Reigning Heisman Trophy winner and expected No. 1 overall draft pick Joe Burrow offered a humorous retort for anyone concerned about his hand size following measurements at the NFL Scouting Combine on Monday.
After news emerged Monday that Burrow's hands measured 9 inches -- on the low end of the range that personnel evaluators typically prefer in a quarterback -- the former LSU star took to Twitter with a facetious response.
"Considering retirement after I was informed the football will be slipping out of my tiny hands," Burrow wrote. "Please keep me in your thoughts."
Burrow, 23, is coming off one of the best seasons by a quarterback in college football history and is pegged as the overwhelming favorite to go first overall to the Cincinnati Bengals in the April draft. He measured at 6-foot-3 and 221 pounds in Indianapolis on Monday, with 30 7/8-inch arms and 9-inch hands (measured from pinky to thumb with the hand fully spread).
The latter figure would equal the lowest of any first-round quarterback since 2008, along with Jared Goff (No. 1 overall in 2016) and Ryan Tannehill (No. 8 in 2012). Scouts and executives generally consider anything under 9 inches to be a concern, while many prefer quarterbacks with hands closer to 10 inches to maximize ball security by limiting fumbles.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, whose hand measured 9 1/4 inches at the 2017 combine, joined in to laugh with Burrow on Twitter.
"My small hands are doing alright so far....i believe in ya," the 2018 MVP and reigning Super Bowl champion wrote, adding three crying laughing emojis.
Burrow completed a whopping 76.3 percent of his passes for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and six interceptions in 2019, leading the Tigers to a perfect season and the national title after winning the College Football Playoff. He won the Heisman in a landslide that set a number of voting records.
--Field Level Media