INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Bryce Young provided one answer Saturday at the NFL’s annual scouting combine: He stands 5-foot-10 1/8 inches and weighs 204 pounds.
Next question: Will his small stature hurt his draft stock?
Team scouts and decision-makers now have nearly eight weeks to debate whether to make Young the first quarterback — or the first player — selected in the April draft.
Typically, teams want their franchise quarterbacks to be several inches taller and perhaps a little heavier to avoid injuries. Instead, Young would be one of the league’s smallest quarterbacks.
He doesn’t believe it’s a big deal, though he was listed at 6-10, 194 in college.
“I’ve been this size my whole life. I know who I am, I know what I can do,” Young said Friday when asked about the size issue.
The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama has all the other prototypical tools that franchises seek — strong arm, quick release, good accuracy, mobility and a knack for making big plays, even on the move.
The closest comparisons might be to Kyler Murray, whom Arizona took with the top overall pick in 2019, and Russell Wilson, a third-round pick in 2012 who led Seattle to its only Super Bowl title before landing in Denver last season.
And while the quarterbacks, tight ends and receivers were scheduled to do their on-field drills Saturday in Indianapolis, Young had said he wouldn’t join them. The next time scouts will see Young will be at Alabama’s scheduled pro day.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL