Today’s Events Will Solve One of the Early NFL Offseason Mysteries
Josh Frey
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Thursday is the first day of the “on-field” workouts at the NFL Combine, featuring the defensive linemen and linebackers going through drills and testing. However, today is also the day where we will get official measurements for many draft prospects as well, including Alabama QB Bryce Young, thus solving one of the early NFL offseason mysteries.
Young is widely considered to be one of, if not the top QB prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, the one hiccup that some folks are finding with the Alabama QB is his size. There is an expectation that he will measure under six feet tall, which by itself, is much less of a concern following the way players like Drew Brees, Kyler Murray, and Russell Wilson have played at shorter heights at the QB position.
However, it is his weight that truly concerns many. Throughout his time at Alabama, there were reports that he played games at a weight somewhere between 180-195 pounds. The last time an NFL QB played in an NFL game at under 200 pounds was Doug Flutie back in 2001.
Early reports from Indianapolis are suggesting that Young will get close to 200 pounds, but he won’t quite reach that benchmark.
Does that mean he should be disqualified from being the QB1 in this class? No, absolutely not. However, the concerns about his weight were always valid because we simply haven’t seen an NFL QB with this slight of a frame in over two decades.
The major concern with Young being this light is injury. Taking hits from players quite literally twice his size could take a major toll on him over the years, and given the violent nature of football, it could ultimately shorten his career. We’ve already seen Tua Tagovailoa go through multiple major concussions in 2022, and he weighs nearly 220 pounds.
In all, Young has enough overall talent that while it may be wise to have concerns in the back of your mind, I still remain of the mindset that he is the top quarterback prospect in this draft.
He is mobile enough that he can take off and run at any given moment, and he has the ability to improvise in an offense which is exactly what a rebuilding team like the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts could need. Expect him to be taken inside the top five of this draft.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.