Josh Rosen is clearly the pick for the Jets over Baker Mayfield

With the 2018 NFL Draft rapidly approaching. The New York Jets have to come to a decision on which quarterback they are going to select. There is no question that Josh Rosen is the better quarterback when compared to Baker Mayfield.

We will throw out QB Sam Darnold in this article as he has an extremely remote chance of being there when the New York Jets select third in the 2018 NFL Draft. That does not in the slightest degree imply that the Jets should skip drafting him. In fact, there is some talk, he could slip to No. 3 and the Jets have recently brought him in for a visit.

To determine which quarterback is the overall better pick for the Jets, other than ability, let’s only take a look at their physical attributes. The ones that matter most as they compare to current starting NFL quarterbacks. The findings are rather alarming.

UCLA’s Josh Rosen stands at 6’4. Currently, there are 10 starting NFL quarterbacks who stand at the same height. Including Tom Brady, Eli Manning, and Matt Ryan. 27 of all 32 starting NFL quarterbacks last year stood between 6’2 and 6’5. That’s a large percentage of today’s NFL starting quarterbacks and cannot be overlooked.

NFL teams and I myself prefer taller quarterbacks as opposed to shorter ones. They are preferred because they have clearer vision downfield plus the chance that their pass will be batted down at the line of scrimmage is very slim.

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Baker Mayfield‘s height is 6’1 which would tie him with Tyrod Taylor (hand size of 10 inches) as the second shortest quarterback in the league. The shortest being Seahawks Russell Wilson at 5’11. Now you may say Wilson has been a successful starting quarterback and he certainly has. Although, Mayfield does differ dramatically in our next physical attribute which is hand size.

Now onto hand sizes of NFL quarterbacks, it’s a very important physical attribute for successful starting quarterbacks. You may ask what does the size of a quarterbacks hand size matter? It matters as it enables quarterbacks to secure the ball much better and furthermore helps them with how well they throw the ball, particularly in colder weather. New Jersey, late in the season, features some very tough weather conditions in regards to snow, rain, and freezing temperatures. In addition, other NFL cities as well when it comes playoff time in January.

While Investigating the hand sizes of both quarterbacks, Rosen has a hand size of 9 7/8″ Mayfield’s hand size measured 9 1/4″. The average hand size of NFL quarterbacks is 9 1/2″. Wilson’s hand size measured at 10.25″ is a full inch larger than this year’s Heisman trophy winner. Wilson’s hand size is tied for the NFL’s current largest hands with another shorter sized quarterback, Drew Brees who is 6’0 tall.

Taking a look at another successful smaller sized quarterback, the great Brett Favre stood only 6’2, however, had a hand size larger than both Wilson and Brees at 10.38″. In a 2016 study, since 2008, ESPN researched 39 quarterbacks whose hands measured 9 1/4″ or smaller. Less than one-fifth of them had gone on to start at least a half season in the NFL. Not one had gone on to make the Pro Bowl.

2016’s number one draft pick QB Jared Goff, who is much taller than Mayfield at 6’4, had hands that measured only 9 inches at the 2016 NFL Combine. The second smallest measured at that year’s combine.

Goff, with hands smaller than 9 1/4″ was named to the 2018 Pro Bowl after Carson Wentz went down with an injury. The moral of all these findings (besides my recent findings on Goff, who isn’t small in height like Mayfield) is that quarterbacks in all probability need to have larger size hands in order to be successful in the pros.

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Will Mayfield be a success at the NFL level? As of now, we don’t know, however, what we do know is that Rosen’s physical attributes do transfer to success. Rosen, who I feel is also more talented and NFL ready than Mayfield, without a doubt is clearly the better pick for the Jets. It’s all in the hands.

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