I'm not sure if you've heard, but Jared Goff, who is largely seen as the most NFL-ready quarterback prospect in this year's draft class, is apparently lacking large hands. That might sound like a non-story, namely due to every other positive attribute Goff has going for him, but it's not a non-issue for the two teams that have been commonly associated with Goff to this point.
On Wednesday, Browns head coach Hue Jackson, whose quarterback-needy team holds the No. 2 pick in the draft, placed value on a quarterback's hand size, citing weather concerns. On Thursday, it was Chip Kelly's turn. The 49ers' head coach also stressed the importance of a quarterback having a "big paw."
#49ers Chip Kelly on importance of QB hand size: “Huge. You better have big hands. ... You better have a big paw to manipulate the football"
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) February 25, 2016
So, does that mean the 49ers are ruling out Goff, whose hands were measured at nine inches? Not necessarily, but it doesn't exactly bode well for Goff's chances to be selected by his home-town team.
So what about a QB with 9-inch hands? Chip Kelly: They’re measureables. They’re guidelines. They’re not like ‘He has 9-inch hands. He’s out'
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) February 25, 2016
But the biggest reason why Goff's chances to wind up in San Francisco took a hit is Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers, who own the No. 7 pick in the upcoming draft, revealed on Wednesday that the embattled quarterback is expected to return to the team. After a season that resulted in Blaine Gabbert stealing the starting job and Kaepernick on injured reserved, many presumed that the team would cut ties with Kaepernick in order to save money. But that doesn't appear to be the case.
On Thursday, Kelly revealed two important details: He wants to work with Kaepernick, and Kaepernick wants to return to the team.
"I don't know what the narrative is, that 'Is he on the team? Is he not on the team?' That's never been a question," Kelly said, per The San Jose Mercury News. "I'm excited about working with Colin.
I've never thought, 'I'm going to go to San Francisco and he's not going to be there.' I don't know why everyone else looks at it that way, either."
Speaking about Kaepernick's desire to stay a 49er, Kelly said he's never heard otherwise from the embattled QB.
"He wants to be here. He's never expressed to me that he didn't want to be here," Kelly said. "He expressed to me that he's excited about getting healthy and getting going. And we're excited about him getting healthy and getting going."
In fairness to Goff, Kaepernick's hands measured at nine and one-eighth inches at the combine in 2011. I'm guessing that one-eighth of an inch isn't the reason why the 49ers are content with Kaepernick.
