Bryce Young could be the next player in the recent line of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks to go at the very top of the NFL draft. However, we won’t see him flash his talents at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. The Alabama QB is taking a similar approach to many top prospects we’ve seen over the years, including Jalen Carter this cycle.
What Is Bryce Young Doing at the NFL Combine?
The real moneymakers at the NFL Combine are the athletic testing and on-field drills. Prospects can show off their athleticism relative to their peers while giving an up-close and personal viewing experience for all 32 teams.
Seeing how a player moves on the field is incredibly important. While testing numbers can be used as baselines and general thresholds for teams based on athleticism and size, those tests are very narrowly-focused. They do not show the intricacies involved in on-field movements we see on the football field.
Ultimately, taking the field could only hurt Young’s chances of being the top pick in the draft. He has more than enough arm to be an outstanding NFL QB, but it would look like a .22 caliber bird shooter compared to the howitzer of Anthony Richardson. And we all know how size and arm strength can make evaluators drool.
MORE: 2023 NFL Draft Quarterback Class
The true importance of the combine has nothing to do with gauging athleticism. The medical examinations in Indianapolis can make or break a prospect’s … prospects. Those exams are a big reason the draft is held where it is. Additionally, each player can exhibit their athleticism at a school or regional combine in front of scouts, coaches, and front office members.
Young will not participate in on-field drills, and we will not see him during the athletic testing portion either. Young will measure, meet with teams, and go through the medical examination portion.
Measurements are likely part of the reason why Young will not be testing. Although many top QB prospects opt not to test during the draft process, most also are not having to do everything within their power to gain weight so as not to scare teams off. Just a few days ago, after spending his previous breaths discussing why Young was special, ESPN’s Todd McShay said, “If I’m a GM, I’m scared to death of drafting him.”
Young’s size is a legitimate concern for many.
Bryce Young’s Injury History
Quarterbacks get injured. In 2022 we saw most of the mobile quarterbacks in the NFL go down. We also saw a fair share of more traditional pocket passers, like Jimmy Garoppolo, miss games. Injuries are an inevitability of the game.
Overall weight and mass relative to one’s frame often coax us into a false sense of safety. Josh Allen is as imposing a QB as there is in the NFL, and by the end of a 17-game season, he was utterly banged up. A study by Football Outsiders concluded that the heavier a player, the more likely they are to suffer injury.
Player injuries are a funky and seemingly random event. Some seem destined to play banged-up for their entire career, like Amari Cooper, who plays through pain caused by plantar fasciitis every season. Others struggle to remain on the field, while the select few can play through nicks and bruises to become league ironmen.
Young avoided serious injury during his time starting at Alabama, but there was a somewhat concerning quote from Nick Saban about Young’s shoulder injury from October.
”Bryce has a little AC sprain in his shoulder. We’ll have to take it day-to-day. I think he’s OK. He doesn’t have a serious injury. We didn’t think he could go back in the game because I don’t think he had much steam on throwing the ball. He’s had these before, and in a few days, he starts to respond pretty well. We’ll have to see how it goes.”
Allen was able to play through an elbow injury because he is a freak with a triple-digit fastball and a 240-pound frame that he uses with ferocity as a runner. Young has neither of those luxuries. Additionally, lingering or returning injuries are a concern that will be fleshed out through the medical examinations.
Will Bryce Young Be Drafted First Overall?
If Young were 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, we wouldn’t even want to put money on him being the top pick because the return would be putrid. Young’s football intelligence and playmaking ability from inside and outside of the pocket are everything NFL teams want in a modern QB. He’d be seen similarly to Trevor Lawrence as a prospect. Even at 5-foot-10 and under 200 pounds on the field, one must squint to find true flaws.
The NFL set a precedent when they drafted Kyler Murray first overall. While Murray has about 15 pounds of density over Young, the height precedent has already been set.
MORE: 2023 NFL Draft Big Board — Top 25 Prospects Heading Into NFL Combine
We must also acknowledge that although Young is a creator, he is not a “mobile” or “running” QB. He is a pocket passer with the physical ability to pick up yards with his legs, but he wins with his arm and his mind.
Young is currently the favorite to be the top pick in the draft, and in the end, he will be the first player taken in the 2023 NFL Draft.