When Alabama quarterback Bryce Young measured in at the scouting combine, no doubt after a few extra steaks from Harry and Izzy’s or St. Elmo’s, his height of 5-foot-10 and ⅛ put him in the first percentile of all draftable quarterbacks since 1999 (per MockDraftable.com), and his weight of 204 pounds put him in the sixth percentile. In pro football history, the list of quarterbacks any starting experience at a height of 5-foot-10 to 5-foot-11, and 200 to 204 pounds is a short (sorry) one, with Sonny Jurgensen leading the list, along with 1987 strike quarterback Sean Payton (yes, that Sean Payton), and Seneca Wallace as the only quarterback from the new millennium. If we drop the weight down to 185-190, which was more likely Young’s actual playing weight, the list is even less spectacular, especially in the modern era.
So, when we talk about concerns regarding Young’s size, what we are really saying is that there is no other quarterback who has credibly taken a pro football field at his size in a very long time. And that has to be discussed, especially since Young’s talent may well have him selected first overall in the 2023 draft.
Teams will have to weigh that against the actual quarterback in question, and in his 2022 season, Young completed 245 of 380 passes for 3,325 yards, 32 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 114.9. Over three seasons with the Crimson Tide, he completed 623 of 952 passes for 8,341 yards, 80 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a passer rating of 115.9. When you have a quarterback completing 65.4% of his passes and averaging 8.8 yards per attempt against the best possible competition, that’s a combination of accuracy and velocity that bears serious study, no matter the size of the player.
Nick Saban, Young’s college coach, had this to say on the issue after Young’s Thursday pro day wrapped up.
“I don’t have any issues with his measurables,” he told Mike Garofolo and Steve Smith Sr. of the NFL Network. “Some people think it’s a durability issue, which is… he’s never been hurt here, other than when he hurt himself falling down and putting his arm out. And his 5-foot-10 frame has never had an impact on his productivity. In a league where most of the players you’re playing against are the same guys you’re going to be playing against at the next level. So, it’s not like he’s playing against lesser talent; there’s so many players in the SEC that get drafted.
“So, I don’t have an issue with it. There’s never been a more instinctive guy — he plays the position like a point guard. He’s got great instincts, great feel, can change arm angles, very accurate with the ball. He’s a really quick decision-maker and a processor, which I think are… accuracy, quick decision-maker, and processor, are the most important qualities when playing quarterback.”
Saban also confirmed the story that after a Saturday game, Young would be in watching tape before the coaches, and by Monday morning, he’d have a list of questions based on the Sunday game plan.
From our NFL+ coverage of Alabama’s pro day: Nick Saban joined me and @stevesmithsr89 to talk Bryce Young: “Bryce was as smart and well-prepared as our entire coaching staff.” pic.twitter.com/QJwW79f123
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 23, 2023
This all shows up on tape. So, let’s get into the inevitable discussion — how much will Young’s size actually affect his NFL future? And what questions will NFL teams be asking him as they try to figure it all out?
How tall are you as a thrower?
One reason the ball just explodes off Young’s hand is that he’s generally mechanically integrated — everything works together for the optimal result. And here’s where his throwing height — where the ball comes out — is crucial. Young doesn’t really have any weird stuff in his delivery that would affect his process. He has a compact, quick, overhand delivery, and though he can adjust his arm angles as need be, that’s the default setting, as it should be.
When throwing directly over the middle in 2022, Young completed 63 of 90 passes for 839 yards, 340 air yards, seven touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 115.9. It’s the kind of thing that isn’t a problem for shorter quarterbacks until it is, and in Young’s case, it hasn’t been yet.
This 53-yard pass to Isaiah Bond against Arkansas showed not only how Young could navigate a cross blitz, but also how well he moves to the open spots of the line to see open targets. This is Young moving up in the pocket, and throwing a 49-air yard dart.
Moving to the open lane is an adaptative strategy adopted by any great shorter quarterback from Fran Tarkenton to Drew Brees to Russell Wilson. Young has perfected it, because he has had to.
How do you handle pressure, and compromised throwing lanes?
The first thing you need to know about blitzing Bryce Young is that… well, don’t do it. Against six or more pass-rushers in 2022, Young completed 20 of 34 passes for 318 yards, 146 air yards, 12 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 129.7. As they say, if you come at the king, you’d best not miss. Young has what Patrick Mahomes has developed to an alien degree — an instinctual feel for where people are in the pocket, and how to get out of it to make the big play. That’s how he can make ridiculous scramble drill throws like this one against LSU.
Mahomes-ish pic.twitter.com/4UFkL32l32
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 23, 2023
There’s also the issue of defenders getting right in his face — well, how does he do when some giant dude beats his blocker and prevents Young from seeing things as he would like to? Ask Kansas State defensive lineman Jaylen Pickle, who swore he had Young dead to rights, and had to watch helplessly as Young threw this 47-yard bomb to receiver Jermaine Burton.
How do you react to big hits?
As Saban said after Young’s pro day, the only time Young was injured in his collegiate career was a shoulder malady that happened against Arkansas when he tried to break his own fall when he was running away from linebacker Drew Sanders.
That was in Week 5 of the 2022 season. Young came back for Alabama’s Week 7 game against Tennessee, and completed 35 of 52 passes for 455 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 107.5.
Problem solved, it would seem.
Aside from that, Young seems to have a good sense of avoiding the big hit, which is important. He was sacked 19 times last season, but he’s smart about giving himself up as things start to fall apart.
Even when he’s blindsided, he’ll fold nicely and live to fight to the next down.
If Young goes to an NFL team with a horrible offensive line and gets pummeled constantly, could that negatively affect his NFL future? Sure, but you could say that of most quarterbacks.
Maybe Bryce Young's outlier status is both good and bad.
NFL teams do not like to take risks on unknown commodities. They also do not appreciate being put in a position to have to gamble on outliers. Safe decisions can save your job, even if they don’t work out, because hey, at least you played to type.
In that regard, Bryce Young is a “problem” for NFL teams, because he’s going to force them to think outside the box. NFL teams are very aware of this. Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich, possessor of the first overall pick in the 2023 draft, was obviously at the pro days of both Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, and this is what he had to say at the scouting combine about Young, when he was asked about smaller quarterbacks at the most physical level of football:
“Yeah. I mean, it’s always yes, it is a concern. But look at Drew Brees, right? I mean, look at Russell Wilson. So are there very many quarterbacks with {Young’s] size that are, you know, high, high picks? No, they’re not. But there are exceptions to that. And there’s good reasons that the exception to that, and most of everything I’ve seen, every positive thing that’s been said about Bryce Young, he’s earned and seems warranted. And I think the discussion of where he’s at and how everyone is viewing him right now is very warranted. He’s earned that. He’s earned that right by how he’s played, how he’s handled all the success that he’s had. And he’s an impressive young man.”
In the end, Bryce Young will most likely be selected with either the first or second pick in the 2023 draft, by the Panthers or the Houston Texans, and then, his journey to the status of NFL Franchise Quarterback will truly begin.
Young will have to transcend his outlier status, but he’s done that all along. His “I’ve been this size, respectfully, my whole life” quote from the combine isn’t 100% accurate (if so, his poor mom!), but as Young also said, he knows who he is and what he can do.
Now, it’s time for the NFL to find out.
