PROJECTED: Round 1
At this point, it’ll be a major surprise within the league if the Carolina Panthers draft someone other than Young at No. 1 overall on
April 27, his diminutive stature notwithstanding.
“The guy who can just play is Bryce Young,” an AFC GM said. “Is he going to be 185 pounds? He’s such a good processor and thinker and accurate, it probably works. They’re taking him. Just write it in. I would bet my house.”
Said an NFC executive: “I’d be shocked if Bryce didn’t go first. If I was Carolina and I wanted to win right now, that’s the guy I would take. I think he’s the most ready to do it. He’s a phenomenal kid. He’s unbelievably intelligent. (Former Alabama OC) Bill O’Brien holds him in really high regard, and it matches up when you meet with him.”
A two-year starter and team captain who won the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award as a true sophomore in 2021, Young brings everything to the table that teams look for in terms of makeup and skill set. He’s just smaller than most NFL QBs, measuring in at 5-foot-10 1/8 and a beefed-up 204 pounds at
the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
“Bryce is super talented. Good arm talent. Probably of all of them, seems to be the most groomed to play quarterback,” an NFC coordinator said. “He’s a super smart dude -- almost feels like talking to a coach at times. Bryce has obviously got the size issues that can become really real when it comes to the guys that’s going to be in front of you, being able to withstand contact and having to manufacture ways to change your arm angle, get a window. But when I watch his tape, if you didn’t tell me how tall he was, I wouldn’t know, because it never showed up.”
Scouts who went through Alabama last fall say Young was playing in the mid-180s, and he has a naturally smaller frame.
“If Bryce was bigger -- and I don’t necessarily mean taller, just if he wasn’t such a frail body -- it’d be, blowing away, him as the No. 1 pick,” another NFC coordinator said. “He’s a natural thrower. Accuracy’s easy for him. That’s the difference between him and the rest.”
Said an NFC scout: “Bryce is just the most natural processor, mover. I hate saying it, but that Steph Curry comparison is actually pretty good, because he’s so nifty and quick and smart and gets the ball out and is accurate. I don’t think the height affects his play at all. He has natural anticipation and field vision and somehow is able to see things a lot smoother than
Russell (
Wilson) even. Then it’s just kind of a risk, durability-wise. But you’ve seen him get hit, you’ve seen him get up. And he’s so instinctive -- how many times is he going to get a free rusher from the back side that he doesn’t see? He understands how to evade and get down and not get completely smoked.”
In 36 college games (27 starts), Young completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 8,356 yards and 80 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions. After playing as a reserve behind eventual first-round pick
Mac Jones on the Crimson Tide team that won the national championship in the 2020 season, Young missed just one game over two seasons as the starter, with an AC joint injury to his right (throwing) shoulder last October that lingered for the rest of the season. He wrapped his collegiate career by opting to play in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Eve and was named MVP in a win over Kansas State.
Said an AFC GM: “I think Young is the most polished passer (in the 2023 class). I would be concerned about his frame, less from the perspective of 'Is he going to be able to perform?' and more from the perspective of 'Is he going to be able to hold up year after year?' We saw it with
Kyler (Murray). We saw it a little bit with
Baker (
Mayfield). And [Young’s] not necessarily the freak athlete to avoid all sorts of contact. That wouldn’t prevent me from taking him high; I think he’s going to be a really good passer and a really good quarterback. I just think there might be some type of planning where you have to invest a little bit more in that No. 2 quarterback spot in the event [Young's] frame doesn’t allow him to be this 17-game starter for 10 years in a row.”
Despite the concerns over his stature, his hand size (9 3/4 inches) is solid for a smaller QB. One NFC quarterbacks coach praised Young's accuracy: "You haven't seen that coming out of the draft in a long time." Young also scored off the charts on the S2 Cognition test some teams use to measure players’ ability to process information.
“He’s got unbelievable instincts and awareness in the passing game,” another NFC QBs coach said. “If you threw out the height on this kid, I don’t think it’d even be a debate about who’s going No. 1. He’s just got such an unbelievable feel for the game when you watch him. You can see what he can do for your team in terms of being able to distribute the ball. His processing shows up on tape.”
Said an AFC scout: “It was Bill O’Brien’s offense. [Young’s] like second behind (
Tom)
Brady in terms of football intelligence. He could handle everything at the line of scrimmage probably like an NFL quarterback. Super poised. He’s accurate. He’s got a good arm -- not a
great arm, but it’s still good at all the levels. Super poised, too. You just don’t see him rattled. They didn’t lose that Tennessee game because of him. You’ve just got to worry about his size. He’s tough. He’s taken some big-time shots from some big dudes; he’s hopped up. It’s just, how many of those are you going to take?”
Coaches can manage that in part by the style of offense they build around Young.
“If you’re going for best combination of route anticipation/accuracy, you’re going Bryce Young -- but then also knowing you’re not going to do a lot of read-option/QB runs with him and you’re going to be willing to manipulate the pocket,” a second NFC executive said. “I always put accuracy and anticipation ahead of arm strength, [and Young’s] got the best combination of the two in the last several drafts. You’re just getting it in a 5-10 frame. He’s not Kyler, where he’s super twitched up and elusive. He’s an outlier, where he’s going to take shots because he’s not an elusive runner. So that off-schedule stuff -- he’s going to take contact. What does that look like over a 17-game season?”
Everyone who has interviewed Young during the pre-draft process has come away impressed, which makes sense: He
has been groomed his entire life for this moment. And he’s still only 21 years old.
“He could be an offensive coordinator right now," said a third NFC executive. "He’s that calm, that mature, that special.“
