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Bryce Young

Bryce Young (QB) – Alabama / Junior

5’10-1/8”, 204.0 Lbs. (Official)

2022 Stats: PASSING – 12 games, 245 completions, 380 attempts, 64.5 completion percentage, 3328 yards, 8.8 yards per attempt, 32 touchdowns, 5 interceptions.  RUSHING – 49 attempts, 185 yards, 3.8 yards per run, 4 touchdowns

{Reference: https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/bryce-young-1.html}

Awards: 2021 AP Player of the Year, 2021 Consensus All-American, 2021 Davey O’Brien Award, 2021 Heisman Trophy Winner, 2021 Manning Award, 2021 Maxwell Award, 2021 SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

Measurables: (AVAILABLE POST COMBINE/PRO DAY)

Games Watched: [Joe] 2022 @ Texas, 2022 @ Tennessee, 2022 Kansas State (Bowl game). [Efram] 2022 vs Utah State, 2022 @ Texas, 2022 @ Arkansas, 2022 vs Auburn

PRO’S 

[Efram] While I’m not onboard with the Mahomes comparison, Bryce Young’s pocket presence is an unteachable trait that only a few elite Quarterbacks possess. He extends plays, weaving between lineman, while still keeping his eyes downfield. His quick throws are flawless and he has pro ready accuracy on midfield passes. Bryce’s baseline starting accuracy as a rookie is phenomenal, with the mental quickness to succeed day one – a trait uncommon for rookie QB’s. Young was an extremely successful SEC Quarterback, oftentimes carrying an underwhelming Alabama offense. His progression skills, poise and ability to create at a high level are all very translatable traits for a modern QB.

[Joe] Bryce Young’s arm, like fellow highly touted QB CJ Stroud, is very elastic, being able to throw from different arm angles with accuracy and velocity (Mahomes-esque).  I mentioned that first because everybody always loves any Mahomes comparables, but on top of that Bryce Young is a complete QB coming out of the NCAA – accuracy to all levels of the field, good and quick decision maker, makes his reads, good pocket presence, pocket manipulator, and his arm is strong enough for quality deep passes but it’s not a cannon.  What you want in a QB, Young has the vast majority of it.  

Young has remarkable and consistent production in his sophomore and junior campaigns, including winning the Heisman Trophy and a plethora of other awards in 2021.

CON’S

[Efram] With all the buzz around Bryce Young’s height, I expect him to measure at 5’10” – a complete anomaly for his position. His slender frame (WEIGHT) is a big issue that may lead to trouble taking hits and playing through contact. Injury concerns have to be brought up, as there’s no precedent for success at his size. While his pocket presence is his best trait, it sometimes leads to Young holding onto the ball for too long and taking extra sacks – but NFL coaches can fix this quickly. I’m lower on his arm talent than most, and while he’s a good short/medium passer, Young was inconsistent with his deep ball. He has the worst arm of the top 4 QB’s, and doesn’t have a rocket arm, limiting his ceiling as a passer. In some games his ball placement and accuracy was elite, while in others he struggled to place downfield and was limited by his arm strength.

[Joe] 5’10-1/8″ is short for an NFL QB it’s short.  Which means concerns in terms of being able to see over your tall OL-men and scan the field, and more likely to get injured.  Shorter QBs usually have to move out of the pocket to see the field better.  It’s great to be able to do it, but it’s not great when you must do it (and I’m concerned that he may be forced to do it often).  Not everyone is Kyler Murray (and I don’t care that he had a bad ‘22, he’s still a premier QB in my eyes). Not a slow runner, but not a threat with his legs either. While he is an accurate deep thrower, there is a limit on that arm strength compared to his other 1st round QB competition.

OVERALL 

[Efram] While I’m not quite as high on Bryce Young due to his slender frame and sub optimal arm talent, I agree that he has many uncoachable skills. Young is pro ready, with the progression skills and high floor passing ability to succeed early on. He left Alabama second in career yards (8,356) and touchdowns (80), while only starting two years, and racked up plenty of accolades. His college resume is the best in the class, and he’s proven himself under pressure. Young’s a good pick for a team looking to compete now, that needs a Quarterback who can put an offense together. His pocket maneuverability sets him apart, and will help him navigate poor Olines. His ceiling is capped by frame and non elite arm talent, but can be a Pro Bowl QB if he can overcome the frame concerns. He’s my QB1 in this draft, but I don’t view him as a bonafide top pick, and graded him more in the top 7/10 grade

[Joe] I personally always get worried about projecting and analyzing QBs coming out of NCAA powerhouse programs (unless it’s Trevor Lawrence) due to the overwhelming amount of 4 and 5 star recruits they play with, so I question how much adversity they actually faced.  It’s always fair to question, how are they going to perform when they get drafted high in the 1st round to most likely a bad NFL team and when they’re probably not going to start their career surrounded by stud playmakers?  However, I also realize that they do sometimes, and especially in Bowl games, play other big time programs (especially within the SEC) with big time prospects, and Young has thrived in those situations.  His height is a major concern for me. If I’m a QB needy team, I wouldn’t blink an eye in drafting him somewhere in the 1st round, but honestly I now have him behind Stroud, Levis, and Richardson — his lack of size scares me and I don’t see him having a cannon arm that would intrigue me more. I like his accuracy and decision making, but it’s not enough for me early in the 1st round.

Completed by: Joe Knows (@JoeJ_Clark), 01/07/23; Updated: 03/04/23

Added: Efram (@Mr1rrelevant), 03/04/23

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