Many consider the University of Alabama’s Bryce Young to be the top quarterback prospect in this year’s upcoming NFL draft.
He had 3,328 yards and 32 touchdowns this season as he led the Crimson Tide to an 11-2 record and a blowout win over the Kansas State University Jayhawks in the Sugar Bowl.
The team that drafts him could find itself with a legitimate franchise quarterback for many years to come.
However, analyst Mel Kiper Jr. is concerned that Young’s modest stature could prevent him from having lots of success at the next level.
Mel Kiper Jr. revealed his ‘key concern’ about Bryce Young…
“Holding up physically is the key concern… 195 (pounds) or higher, for me, is QB1. Less than 195, he’s QB2.”
More: https://t.co/BwG3GTf8jN pic.twitter.com/oMQd6zPwwe
— On3 (@On3sports) February 25, 2023
Young is six feet tall and weighs about 194 pounds, and in today’s NFL, that would make him one of the league’s smaller starting quarterbacks, assuming he becomes a starter at some point.
This is a league that features impressive physical specimens at QB such as the Patrick Mahomes of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (6-foot-3 and 227 pounds), the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen (6-foot-5 and 237 pounds) and Los Angeles Chargers signal-caller Justin Herbert (6-foot-6 and 237 pounds).
With the size of pass rushers these days, quarterbacks simply need to be big and strong enough to withstand the increasing physicality and violence of today’s NFL.
If a team with a very high draft pick shares Kiper Jr.’s doubts about Young, it could instead opt for C.J. Stroud, the Ohio State University stud who threw 41 touchdown passes in 2022 and 44 touchdowns in 2021.
There is also Will Levis of the University of Kentucky, as well as Anthony Richardson of the University of Florida, who ran for 654 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
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