The major topic of Jared Goff’s hand size at the NFL combine

INDIANAPOLIS — Turns out Jared Goff‘s record-breaking college career is more impressive than previously thought: The Cal quarterback posted those huge numbers with miniature mitts.

Goff threw for 12,220 yards and 96 touchdowns in three seasons with one of his 9-inch hands, which are smaller than those of the average NFL quarterback.

The Novato native only learned his hand size this week at the NFL combine, where draft prospects are inspected cattle call style in an attempt to determine if they’re worth a potentially multi-million dollar investment. Of Indianapolis’ 18 quarterbacks, only Arkansas’ Brandon Allen (87/8) has smaller hands than Goff.

On Thursday, Goff, a possible top-10 pick, seemed a little perplexed when asked about a hand that threw the fourth-most touchdowns in Pac-12 history before throwing a stream of headlines on the Internet.

Yes, Goff’s small hands were big news, even if another successful Bay Area quarterback – that of the Raiders Derek Carr – has 91/8 inch needles.

“I heard about it yesterday,” Goff said. “I’ve been told I have really big hands my whole life. I heard that I have small hands yesterday, apparently. No, I’ve never had a problem with it and I don’t expect it to be a problem at all.

For his part, Goff’s father, Jerry, said he never thought about how big — or small — his son’s hands were until this week.

“Never,” Jerry Goff said. “All I know is that whenever Jared shook my hand, I always felt like he was pretty capable.”

Broncos General Manager John Elway It was like Jared Goff during his Hall of Fame career. In other words, he didn’t think about his hand size (101/8), but he recognized that he had a new vision in his new role.

“As a player, you never watch that,” Elway said. “As a general manager, you always look at that.”

It’s worth noting the two teams most likely to draft a top-10 quarterback: Browns (No. 2) and 49ers (No. 7) – have quarterback-savvy head coaches who think hand size is a big problem.

that of Cleveland Boo Jackson noted that his team would have to play in less than ideal weather conditions later in the season. Goff had 23 fumbles in college, although he only had four in his final season.

“I think guys with big hands can grip the ball better in those environmental situations,” Jackson said. “So we’re going to look for a guy that fits what we’re looking for in a quarterback. Does hand size matter? Yes it is.”

The 49ers Chip Kelly said hand size is “huge” for a quarterback and suggested Seattle’s. Russell Wilson overcame a less than ideal height (5-11) due to his large hands (10¼).

“You better have a big paw,” Kelly said, “to handle the football.”

Goff doesn’t have a big leg, and his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame is said to be too lean to withstand NFL punishment. He was very durable at Cal, however, where he didn’t miss a game during a 37-start career in which he was dropped for 81 sacks.

Given Goff’s college resume, Cal’s offensive coordinator Tony Franklin is amused by the fault-finding, but not surprised.

“If you could create the perfect quarterback – a cross between Peyton Manning and Cam Newton — I’m sure they could find something wrong with that,” Franklin said. “There has never been a perfect quarterback, and Jared is no different than anyone who has ever gone through this process. There’s a lot to like, and I’m sure there are some things you can pick out.

Franklin insists that what Goff has far outweighs any flaws. And he added that his former student’s best asset is hard to find and almost impossible to teach.

Franklin always marveled at Goff’s ability to stay calm in the face of a blistering pass rush and go for throws, even if it meant taking a hell of a hit.

“Whether his hands are big enough, or whether he has enough muscle or whatever, that’s up to these people,” Franklin said. “I know this: They can go through 50 years of film and see guys operating in a pocket. …I don’t know if anyone has ever functioned better in those confined spaces. 1 in 1,000 quarterbacks have it. I didn’t see Jared blink once, and he took as many hits as anyone has ever taken.

Jerry Goff also highlighted his son’s many college highlights: “The measurables, they are what they are. But the band is what it is.

Goff is among the consensus top three quarterbacks in the draft, joining a group that includes North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz and Memphis Paxton Lynchwho each have 10 inch hands.

Of course, Wentz has only faced one Division I opponent in his 22-start career. And Lynch finished his career with a miserable 106-yard performance with just one interception in a 31-10 loss to Auburn. In contrast, Goff capped his career with a 467-yard, six-touchdown masterpiece in a bowl victory over Air Force.

But the memory of that performance faded and was partly replaced this week by talk of his hands being too small and his frame being too skinny.

“I don’t know how big his hand is,” Jerry Goff said Wednesday night. “I don’t know exactly how much he weighs. I don’t know exactly how big it is. All I know is that he was pretty productive in college.