Jeff LegwoldESPN Senior Writer4 minute read
How NFL evaluators react to Bryce Young’s measures
Matt Miller says he thinks NFL evaluators are happy with Bryce Young’s height, weight and hand size.
INDIANAPOLIS — Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, who is one of the best players available in the 2023 NFL Draft, told teams his week at the scouting combine that concerns about his size were displaced.
On Saturday, Young was officially 5-foot-10 1/8 tall and weighed 204 pounds, which would make him the lightest first-round quarterback since at least 2006 and one of the shortest passers drafted since the AFL-merger. NFL in 1967.
Young, who had been listed in Alabama at 6 feet, 194 pounds, is the No. 1 ranked player by ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay and Scouts Inc. and the No. 4 ranked player on Mel Kiper Jr’s Big Board. .
“I’ve been this size, respectfully, my whole life,” Young said. “I know who I am, I know what I can do. For me, it’s fair, everyone can speculate, ask me all the questions, I will continue to control what I can control, continue to work from my best. . I have confidence in myself, I know what I can do.”
Kyler Murray, who was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the first overall pick of the 2019 draft, was 5-10 1/8, 207 pounds, at the combine that year. Murray is the shortest first-round quarterback since 1967, and he’s tied for lightest with Johnny Manziel, who was taken 22nd overall in the 2014 draft. They’re the only two quarterbacks drafted in the first round that were less than 6 feet tall. Michael Vick, who was the Atlanta Falcons’ first pick in the 2001 draft, weighed 6 feet, 210 pounds at the 2001 combine, while Drew Brees was 6 feet, 213 pounds at the 2001 combine before being the first pick of the second round by the then San Diego Chargers.
Young’s physical dimensions haven’t impacted his career at one of college football’s powerhouses in what is considered the nation’s top conference. Young won the Heisman Trophy as well as the 2021 Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year, as he threw 79 touchdown passes with 12 interceptions during his two seasons as the Crimson’s starter. Tide. In his last game — Alabama’s Sugar Bowl win over Kansas State in January — Young threw for 321 yards with five touchdowns.
Young’s height has become perhaps the most talked about topic regarding his potential in the NFL, especially after a season in which he missed time with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder (throw ).
Asked what he could potentially weigh on Saturday on Friday, Young said, “I’ve been in the 200-pound range and that’s something that hasn’t been too hard to do.”
Young said Friday he officially met the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans at the combine. The Bears have the No. 1 pick in the April draft while the Texans have the No. 2 and No. 12 picks.
Young said he spoke to former Alabama quarterback and current New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones about the pre-draft process as well as “how to behave.” He said he answered all questions posed by the teams as honestly as possible.
“My goal is not necessarily to prove anything,” Young said. “It’s, for me, trying to explain all the things that I see to the coaches and general managers, to all the decision makers. To express myself on my way of seeing the game, my experiences…d also learn.
“I speak my truth. I make sure to explain how I play the game, how I see the game, my process. Obviously there are good things on the film, on the set, just to talk about ball.”