Every year, draft prospects are picked apart in every possible manner. Some of the criticisms are completely legit, some are complete garbage, and many fit somewhere in between. Enter Jared Goff.
One point of curiosity for coaches/scouts entering combine week: how does Jared Goff measure? Smallest of top QBs, hands supposedly tiny.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 24, 2016
As soon as I saw this tweet, I could not help but think back to Alex Smith, and laugh. There were plenty of criticisms about Alex Smith during his time in San Francisco, and the small hands was prominently featured. There is certainly reason to be concerned about hand size, but it felt like it took on a life of its own, becoming a running joke with 49ers fans.
Goff had 23 fumbles during his time at Cal, which some think validates the concerns. It is worth noting that Marcus Mariota had 27 fumbles in three seasons at Oregon, and managed to be the second overall pick. Maybe the small hands become an issue, but it frequently feels like a bit of a red herring.
Fooch's update - Since getting this started, Hue Jackson met with the media and had some comments on hand size. Specifically, he was asked if hand size means a lot to him:
Oh yes it does. It does. It matters because we play in a division where all of a sudden there's rain, there's snow and it's different. I think guys that have big hands can grip the ball better in those environmental situations and so we'll look for a guy that fits what we're looking for in a quarterback and is hand size important? Yes it is.