The Smallest Recorded Hand Measurements Among NFL Quarterbacks

Once height is taken into account, some of the quarterbacks with the most extraordinary physical proportions might surprise you

When people talk about quarterbacks with small hands, they usually worry about ball security. Quarterbacks are expected to have big hands to grip the ball tightly in freezing weather, survive hard hits in the pocket, and make strong throws without losing control. Because of this, many modern pro teams prefer a quarterback to have hands that measure at least 9.5 inches, and coaches are often very hesitant to draft a player with hands smaller than that.

However, height and hand size don’t always grow together. A giant 6’5″ quarterback can walk into a room and have the exact same hand size as a guy who is 6’1″. While players like Michael Vick fumbled 98 times over his 13 seasons, he took a ton of hits as a running, dual-threat quarterback who scrambled outside the pocket, proving you can still be an absolute superstar with small hands if you have elite arm speed and a quick wrist snap. Others, like Kenny Pickett, show how smart players successfully adjust—like using a specialized double-glove setup—to keep total control of the ball.

To see who had the most surprising numbers, this list looks at the official metrics from the NFL Scouting Combine. The list is a countdown from small hands to the absolute smallest hands ever recorded in football history.

How These Players Are Ordered

This list is a strict countdown tracking the hands from small down to the absolute smallest.

When multiple quarterbacks have the exact same hand measurement, they are ordered from shortest down to tallest. We do this because a matching hand size naturally looks smaller on a taller player than it does on a shorter player.

Since our goal is to rank down to the absolute smallest looking hands on the page, the shorter player ranks higher up on the list, and the taller player sits lower down at the bottom of the group. By saving the tallest players for last within each hand-size category, the hands look progressively smaller and more surprising with every single row you pass.

How Hand Size Is Measured in the NFL

At the Combine, a player’s hand is stretched out flat on a table and measured from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the pinky finger. That measurement is known as the handspan. For a normal everyday adult male, the average handspan is anywhere between 8.0 and 8.5 inches. Most professional quarterbacks measure well above that mark, but a unique group of players fell remarkably close to that normal everyday baseline.

The league averages used below come from the official NFL Scouting Combine Database, tracking drafted quarterbacks over a 25-year modern timeline from 2000 to 2024. Older players from the 1980s—including Doug Hudson, Mike Perez, and Shane Matthews—are compared against these same modern height baselines to keep the comparison fair.

8.88 inches

Brandon Allen — 6’2″

Brandon Allen has earned great respect around the league as a highly reliable, smart backup quarterback who can step in and run an offense seamlessly. Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, Allen starts our 8.88-inch group. His hand size sits slightly below the 9.15-inch average expected for a quarterback of his height. Because he is the shortest player in this specific group, his hands are the closest to matching his body size, putting him at the top of this tier.

Height: 6’2″
Handspan: 8.88″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.15″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 3.0% below average

Steve Matthews — 6’3″

Steve Matthews was a draft pick for the Kansas City Chiefs who spent his career as a backup, starting only one game in the NFL. When he stood at the combine, his 6’3″ height made him look like a standard pocket passer, but his 8.88-inch hands instantly put him on the small-handed list. For an ordinary fan, his stats reveal an amazing quirk: Matthews has the exact same hand size as Brandon Allen, despite carrying an extra inch of height. His hands didn’t stop him from making a pro roster, but he struggled to earn starting reps, ultimately bouncing around the league as a traveling journeyman.

Height: 6’3″
Handspan: 8.88″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.20″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 3.5% below average

Shane Matthews — 6’3″

Shane Matthews carved out an impressive, decade-long career in the NFL, playing for teams like the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins. Standing 6 feet 3 inches tall, Matthews matched Steve Matthews down to the exact decimal point with an 8.88-inch hand size. He established a highly productive pro career despite working with much less hand leverage than several starting quarterbacks who stood under six feet tall. Matthews relied on clean throwing form and excellent footwork to drive the ball downfield, proving that on-field success depends on total skill rather than a combine spreadsheet row.

Height: 6’3″
Handspan: 8.88″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.20″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 3.5% below average

Tommy Hodson — 6’3″

Tommy Hodson was an absolute legend at LSU, finishing his college career as an All-SEC passer before moving on to the NFL, but his transition to the pro ranks was incredibly rocky. Standing 6 feet 3 inches tall with 8.88-inch hands, Hodson threw a brutal 11 interceptions to just 7 touchdowns in his main starting season with the New England Patriots. Scouts at the time openly worried about his physical specifications, and his small hands became a major talking point during evaluation cycles. While he survived six seasons in the league, his career was primarily defined by his struggles with complex pro defensive systems.

Height: 6’3″
Handspan: 8.88″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.20″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 3.5% below average

Charlie Frye — 6’4″

Charlie Frye was a tough, hard-nosed starter for the Cleveland Browns who proved that a quarterback can play at a high level without having massive hands. Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, Frye drops lower down the list with his 8.88-inch hand size because his taller frame makes those hands look even smaller. This measurement became a major talking point during his pre-draft evaluation process, placing him a clear 4.0% below the historical average for his height. While standard football reports often assume that a large body means a player will have giant hands, Frye’s career proved that those physical traits grow on entirely independent paths.

Height: 6’4″
Handspan: 8.88″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.25″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 4.0% below average

Kevin O’Connell — 6’5″

Kevin O’Connell stands as the absolute peak anomaly of the 8.88-inch group. Standing a towering 6 feet 5 inches tall, O’Connell had the exact look of a classic, giant pocket passer. However, his hands measured just 8.88 inches, which looks incredibly small on a giant 6’5″ frame and scales to a substantial 4.5% deficit below the 9.30-inch average typically recorded for a quarterback of his height. O’Connell’s data sheet remains a striking example of why height alone cannot tell you how big a player’s hands will be.

Height: 6’5″
Handspan: 8.88″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.30″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 4.5% below average

8.75 inches

Mike Perez — 6’1″

Mike Perez was a prolific passer at San Jose State who led the entire nation in total offense before being drafted by the New York Giants. Standing 6 feet 1 inch tall, Perez recorded an 8.75-inch hand size, placing him 3.8% under the expected average. This number sits remarkably close to the average hand size of an everyday adult male, making it exceptionally rare for a professional football player. It is amazing to realize that a guy with completely average hands was able to take snaps under center. Perez was primarily a career backup, throwing just 19 total passes in the league. His small hands didn’t ruin his career, but his limited athletic speed and lack of elite arm power kept him locked at the bottom of team depth charts.

Height: 6’1″
Handspan: 8.75″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.10″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 3.8% below average

T.J. Rubley — 6’3″

T.J. Rubley’s name is etched into football history for one of the most famous blunders ever seen on a field. Playing for the Rams, Rubley ignored his coach’s play-call on a crucial third down, audibled to a quarterback sneak, fumbled the ball away, and was cut by the team almost immediately after the game. While Rubley stood a tall 6 feet 3 inches with small 8.75-inch hands—measuring 4.9% below average—his career didn’t end because of his physical proportions. It ended because of poor decision-making and a legendary lack of on-field discipline that coaches simply couldn’t trust.

Height: 6’3″
Handspan: 8.75″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.20″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 4.9% below average

John Friesz — 6’4″

John Friesz was an absolute college football superstar, winning the prestigious Walter Payton Award before enjoying a steady, decade-long career in the NFL. Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, Friesz logged a compact 8.75-inch hand size, scaling to a clear 5.4% deficit for his height. This measurement placed him well below the average for a quarterback of his height, making him a fascinating outlier. Friesz used a great shoulder turn and a quick wrist snap to throw the ball beautifully, showing how elite athletes successfully adjust their form to win at the highest levels.

Height: 6’4″
Handspan: 8.75″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.25″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 5.4% below average

Tony Sacca — 6’5″

Tony Sacca is the ultimate winner of the 8.75-inch group. He stands a massive 6 feet 5 inches tall—the size of a classic NFL giant—but he carries a tiny 8.75-inch hand size, dropping him a heavy 5.9% below positional averages. It is a wild physical mismatch. Sacca was drafted by the Phoenix Cardinals but lasted only one single season in the NFL, completing just 4 passes and throwing 2 interceptions. While his career busted quickly, coaches blamed his professional regression on low pass accuracy and a failure to quickly read defensive schemes, rather than his hand size alone.

Height: 6’5″
Handspan: 8.75″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.30″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 5.9% below average

8.68 inches

Tyler Wilson — 6’2″

Tyler Wilson was a spectacular All-SEC first-team selection at Arkansas who set school records before entering the NFL ranks. Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall with tiny 8.68-inch hands, Wilson sits 5.1% below the baseline average and holds the tragic distinction of being cut by his team before he ever played a single regular-season snap. While fans were shocked by his physical dimensions, his career actually derailed because he struggled heavily with confidence, suffered severe concussions, and completely lost his throwing accuracy during training camp drills.

Height: 6’2″
Handspan: 8.68″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.15″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 5.1% below average

8.5 inches

Michael Vick — 6’0″

Michael Vick represents the first entry in our 8.5-inch group. Even though he has small hands for a professional quarterback, his body proportions are not nearly as extreme as the taller players further down this list who shared his exact same hand measurement. Because Vick stood just 6 feet 0 inches tall, his 8.5-inch handspan sits only 5.5% below the average expected for his specific height class.

While he accumulated 98 fumbles over his 13 seasons, that number requires realistic football context: Vick took an unprecedented volume of hits as a run-heavy, dual-threat quarterback who constantly scrambled outside the pocket, significantly raising his risk of getting hit. His legendary career completely shattered traditional scouting biases, proving that his smaller grip was entirely secondary to his world-class arm speed and explosive wrist snap.

Height: 6’0″
Handspan: 8.5″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.00″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 5.5% below average

Jeff Blake — 6’1″

Jeff Blake was a brilliant Pro Bowl selection who became legendary for throwing one of the most beautiful deep-ball passes in the history of the sport. Blake carried an 8.5-inch hand size through a fantastic professional career that spanned over a decade—a measurement that sits 6.6% below the average expected for his height class, proving that tactical vision and elite touch completely override combine standards. At 6 feet 1 inch tall, Blake logged 79 fumbles over his 119 career games. Protecting the ball in a tight crowd was a constant battle, but Blake was an aggressive passer who played behind heavily struggling offensive lines during a high-contact era. His great career stands as a reminder that leadership and winning rely on factors a scout’s ruler can never capture.

Height: 6’1″
Handspan: 8.5″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.10″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 6.6% below average

John David Booty — 6’2″

John David Booty was a highly celebrated star at USC, leading the famous Trojans to two consecutive Rose Bowl victories during their dominant college era. Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, Booty recorded a matching 8.5-inch hand size, which places his grip exactly 7.1% below the average for a passer of his stature. This measurement puts him right in line with Kenny Pickett’s hand metrics, showing an interesting tie between different draft classes. While his smaller hand span became a standard talking point for scouts ahead of the NFL Draft, Booty’s massive success in high-pressure college bowl games proved that on-field execution relies on a player’s actual passing talent rather than a single pre-draft ruler measurement.

Height: 6’2″
Handspan: 8.5″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.15″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 7.1% below average

Kenny Pickett — 6’2″

Kenny Pickett was an absolute star at Pitt, finishing as a Heisman Trophy finalist after shattering school passing records. Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, Pickett sparked intense national media debates when his 8.5-inch hand size was officially recorded at the combine. His dimensions match Booty down to the exact decimal point, placing him 7.1% below average. However, looking past the media noise reveals a great story about physical adjustment. By using a specialized double-glove setup and refining his lower-body balance to generate maximum throwing power, Pickett successfully led pro offenses—proving that hand size says very little on its own about throwing accuracy or smart decision-making under pressure.

Height: 6’2″
Handspan: 8.5″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.15″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 7.1% below average

Kliff Kingsbury — 6’3″

Kliff Kingsbury concludes our 8.5-inch group. Because Kingsbury stood a solid 6 feet 3 inches tall, his 8.5-inch hand size sat a clear 7.6% below the average for a quarterback of his height. Since he is the tallest player to carry this specific hand size, his hands looked significantly smaller against his taller frame than the shorter players in this tier. Kingsbury was selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft by the New England Patriots but spent his professional playing days primarily as a traveling backup. While his short hand span was a constant talking point for scouts, his limited playing time in regular-season games had far more to do with the intense competition on the roster than his combine measurements alone.

Height: 6’3″
Handspan: 8.5″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.20″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 7.6% below average

7.25 inches (The Ultimate Record Baseline)

Doug Hudson — 6’2″

Doug Hudson was selected in the sixth round of the 1987 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs after playing college football at Nicholls State. Hudson holds the absolute lowest position in official professional football records with a hand span of 7.25 inches. Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, his hand size sits a massive 20.8% below the modern baseline expected for an NFL quarterback of his height.

To put his proportions into perspective for an everyday fan, Hudson’s hands were 14.7% smaller than the 8.5-inch average of a typical adult male who stands only 5’9″ or 5’10”. Because pro athletes generally carry much larger hand spans than the general public, Hudson’s measurement stands as an extreme physical mismatch. Hudson played in only one regular-season NFL game during his career, completing one pass for 13 yards and throwing one interception.

Height: 6’2″
Handspan: 7.25″
Expected Average for His Height: 9.15″
Percent Below Height-Class Average: 20.8% below average

Summary Data: Smallest NFL Quarterback Hand Sizes

What These Measurements Show

These numbers reveal a hidden world of physical variety across professional sports. While scouting reports often treat height and hand size as a packaged deal, historical metrics prove that these attributes grow on completely separate tracks.

The data highlights how elite athletes successfully adjust their mechanics to overcome physical limitations. For example, while Michael Vick relied on world-class arm speed and a fast wrist snap to find success, Kenny Pickett uses a specialized double-glove setup to maintain steady ball control.

Ultimately, these numbers prove that human proportions do not always follow scouting biases. Hand size may be heavily analyzed during pre-draft evaluation cycles, but it can never measure an athlete’s true passing talent, vision, and core determination on a live field.