Is Bryce Young ready to overthrow years of NFL traditional
6:45 AM ET Pete ThamelESPN Arkansas protective organizer Barry Odom came out of the locker space in Tuscaloosa in November 2021 to get a peek at Bryce Young, Alabama’s undersize wunderkind quarterback, in pregame warmups.Young’s stirring sophomore season put him atop the Heisman Trophy race and defied football conventions, and Odom couldn’t
help wanting to catch a field-level peek of the sport’s breakout star. Alabama listed Young at 6-foot, 194 pounds, however everyone knew those numbers meant he was basically stepping on a phonebook and his weight was synthetically padded by a couple of slabs of Tuscaloosa’s popular Dreamland ribs.In the chill of the early afternoon, Odom rapidly comprehended the scope of his difficulty. As so frequently happened in an embellished high school and college profession, Young’s arm skill eclipsed his modest size.”He’s got this quick release and the ball blows up off his hand,”stated Odom, who is now UNLV’s head coach.”He’s making every toss throughout the field in warmups. I understood at that point it was
probably going to be a long night. “Young majored in delivering opponents long nights in his two seasons as a starter at Alabama, where he went 23-4. That afternoon versus Odom’s defense, he provided five goal passes and no interceptions on his method to winning the Heisman.Editor’s Picks 2 Related In 2022, he threw for 32 touchdowns and just five interceptions while playing with a drastically inferior getting corps. In simply two seasons as a starter, he’s the second-leading passer in Alabama history
(8,356 lawns). As the NFL draft kicks
off Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC/ESPN app ), that caliber of consistent production has actually made Young the excessive favorite to be the No. 1 general choice. At 5-foot-10, he ‘d be simply the 3rd quarterback in the common draft era much shorter than 6 feet to be picked in the first round, joining Kyler Murray and Johnny Manziel.Searching NFL combine data back to 1999, Young would also be the lightest quarterback taken in the preliminary. Young weighed in at 204 at the combine, and the list of quarterbacks weighing less consists of a flurry of forgettable names like Aaron Brooks (203), Trace McSorley( 202 )and Seneca Wallace(196 ). That’s the engaging conundrum ultimately dealing with the Carolina Panthers at No. 1– can they utilize a cherished piece of draft realty on a player whose size makes him an exception? Young looms as an abnormality even among the smaller sized quarterbacks, as he’s a pure pocket passer. Simply 12%of his passes in college came beyond the pocket, per ESPN Stats & Details research study.
“If you select him, you are saying that he’s the outlier in the history of the league, “said a veteran NFL executive.”Kyler Murray was that size, but a little stronger developed and ran low 4.4 s. [Young is] an amazing player and amazing kid, but you are stating that the person is the one outlier in the history of the league. “The NFL draft market through the years has actually
been constructed on paradigms: height, weight, speed. Those archetypes have actually existed for years, acting as guidelines and guardrails for franchises wanting to avoid mistakes.The case for Young has actually been made through a path of flummoxed defensive coordinators and admiring head coaches who watched him grow across the sideline. And it leaves among the most fascinating draft questions of the previous generation: Can Bryce Young be the exception? Bryce Young is looking to make history as the No.
1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images When Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea game-planned for Young in September, he didn’t once consider his size in the equation of how to attempt to stop him.”It’s the capability that offsets the size,”Lea stated.” When you’re
out there on the field with him, you don’t look at him and say,’He’s little. ‘He plays larger than that. It’s a compliment to his competitive frame of mind and stature on the field.”Size matters if you can take toss lanes away. His skills give him the ability to extend plays and step up
and find windows to make throws.” Young’s 79 goals in two seasons at Alabama rank as the most in the SEC over a two-year duration. He missed simply one game– against Texas A&M in 2022 with a shoulder injury– and flashed the physical and psychological abilities that have the NFL intrigued and left a trail of unlucky defenders in his wake.In consulting with a half-dozen coaches recently who faced Young, the 2 characteristics
that turned up the most were his inherent feel in the pocket and his ability to detect defenses and dissect them accordingly.The play that maybe defined his elite impulses can be found in a comeback win at Texas in September, when Young managed a Houdini act that resonated as one of the most outstanding of the season. Texas defensive back Ryan Watts spotted into the Alabama backfield uncloged and Young ducked so low at the last possible second to avoid Watts that his face mask nearly scraped the ground.He then rushed 20 backyards to the 17-yard
line to set up the winning 33-yard field goal 3 plays later.play 0:37 Bryce Young’s clutch run causes Alabama’s winning field goal Bryce Young escapes the blitz for a big first down, resulting in Alabama’s game-winning field goal.”It resembles tag– he’s the fastest thing out there and nobody can touch him,”previous Auburn coach Bryan Harsin stated.” He can make guys miss and vacate the way. That play versus Texas was something you see in a film
, like’The Matrix,’ then he’s running for it.”His pocket awareness is maybe among the best I’ve seen in college. He’ll stand back there. He’ll understand nothing is open, he purchases some time and somebody is going to get open for him. “Harsin coached Kellen Moore at Boise State– 6-foot and 197 at the NFL integrate in 2012– for four seasons as the quarterback coach and offending planner for the Broncos. Moore finished his career at Boise 50-3 as a starter and remains the winningest quarterback in college football history.Through that historical run, Harsin said he and former Boise coach Chris Petersen understood the expansion of the shotgun in college football– and more just recently in the NFL with 63 %of regular-season snaps in the weapon in 2022– has ended up being an equalizer for much shorter quarterbacks. That’s why Harsin stated he ‘d have chuckled off any concept by a defensive coach at Auburn that they might make use of Young’s size.Harsin coached versus Young just as soon as during his two-year Auburn tenure, but he’s long been a card-carrying member of his appreciation society. Harsin took his kid, Davis, to the 2019 high school clash between Young’s Mater Dei team and D.J. Uiagalelei’s St. John Bosco club.Harsin wanted to provide his son, now a three-star quarterback recruit, a look of big-time prep football. He could not have actually envisioned that two years later on, Young would lead one of his hallmark returns versus Auburn with a 97-yard game-tying drive, making it possible for Alabama to win in four overtimes.The next day, when seeing the film and eliminating the feeling, Harsin could just appreciate what Young pulled off.”When you draw back, from a pure quarterback viewpoint, it was outstanding,”Harsin said. “I’m enjoying it the next day stating,’That guy is a Heisman Trophy winner.’ “Young’s final college Houdini act didn’t included a late drive. He decided to play in the Allstate Sugar Bowl versus Kansas State, defying the opt-out pattern for top potential customers not in the CFP, and fileted Kansas State for 5 goals and 321 yards.Wildcats coach Chris Klieman still does not understand how star Wildcats corner Julius Brents, a possible first-round pick himself today, didn’t intercept a ball that Young deftly dropped 32 yards to Ja’Corey Brooks on the back pylon of the end zone.”Simply as far as the football acumen and the precision, I didn’t think there was a better quarterback this year,”Klieman stated.”That was the very best kid we played, by far. How he checked out defenses, putting the ball in windows and spots. “He was absolutely in control of everything.” Young now goes into a stage of his career he can’t manage. The variables of success for a quarterback transitioning to the NFL start in the front workplace, filter to the training staff and are rooted in the system. There’s likewise franchise patience pitted against fan pressure and the inevitability of withstanding a few years with an inferior roster.What’s specific is that a franchise will need to mold its lineup and system to accommodate Young. Scouts and NFL personnel insist that begins with scheme and encompasses assembling rational roster pieces.Drafting Young comes with an acknowledgement that he will not grow, but his height is less of a problem than his slim frame. There have been contrasts to Russell Wilson, who likewise weighed 204
pounds at the combine. But Young is just not as thickly developed as Wilson– he will likely dip into around 205 pounds in the NFL, while Wilson is noted at 215 in Denver.”I’ve been this size, respectfully, my whole life,”Young stated.”I understand who I am. I understand what I can do. For me, [the concerns are] reasonable. Everyone can speculate and ask when the questions are needed. I’m going to continue to manage what I can control. ” Bryce Young might be smaller than a lot of other elite QB draft potential customers but he makes up for his size in plenty of other methods. Rodolfo Gonzalez/AP One NFL executive told ESPN that whoever prepares Young will require to “construct a Great Wall” in front of him. That includes thick interior
linemen however not always high ones. And they ‘d be flanked by larger takes on.”You require to keep the pocket company and clear,” the executive stated.”You do not desire 6-foot-5 men throughout the board. That ‘d be hard for him. “Costs O’Brien, the former Alabama offensive coordinator who was hired to the exact same position by the New England Patriots this offseason, was a ruthless supporter of Young’s to scouts. The Crimson Tide are among the most open programs in the country for scouts, and several scouts told ESPN O’Brien advised Young with vigor. “The size does not matter when you process the game quickly,”one scout stated.”The notion of him getting balls batted down, that will only happen if he’s holding the ball and not makingfast decisions.” The case for Young thriving in the NFL comes from Drew Brees, who is 2 inches taller at 6-foot and weighed 9 more pounds at the integrate (213). A scout said Young will likely need to run nearly specifically from the shotgun, which is in line with how NFL offenses have progressed.”He’s truly Drew Brees,”the scout said. “The size doesn’t matter. He’s a pocket
passer with motion abilities. You’re not playing under center, you need to alter your offense, as it’s going to be harder for him to return in 3-step, 5-step and
7-step drops and still see over defenses.”Among the most interesting parts of this draft exists’s no consensus on the leading quarterback. Some scouts are captivated with Anthony Richardson’s qualities, others with C.J. Stroud’s production and some like the physical tools of Will Levis.One veteran scout summarized his Young hesitation by pointing out he may have relied too much on his improvisational capability:”His design is very much a play area dropback that emphasizes his instincts. It’s hard to see him translating to a system that depends on fast game. I do not believe he’s elite at preparing for with timing early in the play. He’s more adept running around and then making a play with his arm talent.”It’s expected the Panthers are going
to make a huge bet on Young’s size not mattering. There’s a trail of college coaches who ended up being believers after seeing Young’s magic up close.
Will he break NFL paradigms and convert more doubters? “Over the years I have actually defended a great deal of first-round quarterbacks,”Lea stated.”Bryce definitely sticks out as a player who is elite amongst those first-rounders. He’ll be scrutinized left and right, however what I witnessed on the field was a capability to dominate the game and play to his strengths, and that possibly limits the weaknesses.”