How QB weigh-ins at the Senior Bowl could affect 2022 NFL Draft

The quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl had some interesting weigh-in numbers. Here’s how they could pursue scouts prior to the 2022 NFL Draft. 

It’s important to take weigh-in numbers with a grain of salt. Every year at this time, official measurements are posted from the Senior Bowl weigh-ins and NFL Draft analysts start to lose their minds over the results.

However, some numbers do hold a particular level of importance and there are certain thresholds that teams look for. When it comes to the weigh-in results for the quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft, there was hardly a Justin Herbert-like prospect this year. In fact, some of the official numbers are a bit concerning.

Though this isn’t a particularly strong quarterback class, this is a remarkable deep group of passers at the Senior Bowl this year. They are all close enough on draft boards that even the smallest things could help set them apart.

Sadly, some of these quarterbacks may have hurt their stock ever so slightly after the weigh-ins on January 31st. Here are the Senior Bowl weigh-in results from the quarterback class this year, via Senior Bowl director, Jim Nagy:

If some of these numbers look like jibberish to you, allow me to explain. From left to right, these are the official numbers for height, weight, hand size, arm length, and wingspan. There are some important notes to take away from this.

Could QB weigh-ins impact the 2022 NFL Draft?

For starters, you’ve probably noticed that one number is missing from Pitt quarterback, Kenny Pickett. The 2021 standout did not get his hands measured at the Senior Bowl. This is a bit concerning, as it has been rumored that his hand size is well below the typically 9” threshold at just 8 1/4”.

For some reason or another, there really haven’t been many success stories for QBs in the NFL who fall under the 9” threshold, so this is something that teams will take into account. While Pickett played in the Pittsburgh cold and wind for five seasons in college, he was forced to wear gloves, and with an increased ball size at the NFL level, some could worry about the spin, zip, and velocity he could get on the ball.

In addition to Pickett not getting his hand size measured, it’s interesting to note that both Sam Howell and Malik Willis measured in just a hair over 6’0”. While this is still pretty short in comparison to your average NFL quarterback, falling under this number would have certainly raised eyebrows, and some teams would have really knocked these QBs for their lack of height.

It’s also worth noting that Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, although 6’3”, weighed in at a frail 207 pounds. Ridder has good hand size and wingspan, but teams were probably hoping he would have been closer to the 220-pound mark.

Of the Senior Bowl QB group, Nevada’s Carson Strong posted the best overall measurements. His issue, however, is the clear lack of functional mobility on film, and he’s hoping to prove doubters wrong this week.

Though I believe that we shouldn’t put too much stock into the weigh-ins, there’s no doubt that these results could change the opinions on some of these players at least a little bit.

With how close this QB group is this year in terms of talent, even the slightest things could make a big difference on draft day. What’s most important is that these guys impress on the field this week, but some of these quarterbacks didn’t help their cause during weigh-ins.