Bryce Young weighs in at 204 pounds, but

[JAFF]

https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...n/69935667007/

INDIANAPOLIS -- Bryce Young stood in a green hoodie with a backpack on in the middle of Lucas Oil Stadium as the other three top quarterbacks competed in throwing drills. He spoke with Colts receivers coach -- and legend -- Reggie Wayne at length. He introduced himself to Michael Pittman Jr.

What he didn't do was throw or run or jump. Not on this day. That's a later worry.

The Alabama quarterback had one goal above all at this year's NFL combine, and that was to measure in at a size that teams could find reasonable to become a high investment. Speculation about his playing weight dominated the discourse around who is otherwise considered the most advanced and accomplished passer in this year's crop, and checking off some basic numbers was one thing he could show that two years of tape could not.


And when Young stepped on the scale Saturday, he saw what he needed to see. He weighed in at 204 pounds. At 5-foot-10 1/8 tall, he measured in at nearly the exact size as Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who was 5-10 1/8 and 207 pounds before he went No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft.

"I've been this size, respectfully, my whole life," Young said.


It hasn't stopped him from playing at immaculate levels. He played at California powerhouse Mater Dei High School and reached two state championship games, won one and was the No. 1 dual-threat prospect by every major recruiting ranking. He then went to Alabama, where he sat behind Mac Jones for two years before taking over and winning the Heisman and a Southeastern Conference championship while reaching the National Championship Game in his first season.



Young threw 79 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions in his two years as the Crimson Tide starter. He completed nearly 66% of his passes for 8.8 yards per attempt. And he created a playing style that is wholly unlike the other top prospects in this year's draft, from Ohio State's C.J. Stroud to Florida's Anthony Richardson to Kentucky's Will Levis. He used a relentless preparation and advanced understanding of pro concepts to navigate crowded pockets with bouncy feet that slipped in and out of sacks and allowed him to find receivers at various points in the progression.

"I know who I am. I know what I can do," Young said.


That advanced understanding is the other element he wished to show at this year's event, where he did none of the athletic testing. He met with teams and broke down plays from his film on the whiteboard to show the readiness that gives him a chance to be the No. 1 pick in this year's draft -- if the Bears decide to trade it.

Bryce Young had a memorable two years as the quarterback at Alabama, where he won the Heisman Trophy and led the Crimson Tide to the National Championship Game in 2021.
The Colts will be in those conversations, as they sit at No. 4 and are looking to end the quarterback carousel that has given them five different Week 1 starting quarterbacks over the past five seasons. After hiring a new coach in Shane Steichen right after he took a developing Jalen Hurts and helped turn him into the MVP runner-up, the Colts are not hiding the fact that they're trying to land a quarterback with this selection.


Deciding where to do it is the harder part.

"This is what's great right now: Everybody has just automatically stamped that you've gotta move up to (No.) 1 to get it right," Colts general manager Chris Ballard said. "I don't know that I agree with that. I don't.


"... When we meet as a staff and we say, okay, this is what we need to do, this is the guy for the next 10-15 years and we think he’s the right guy, sure, we’ll do it. But who’s to say we won’t get one at four?

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Whether Young can prove to him he's that guy and is worthy of a trade up is the question. Few expect him to last past the Texans' pick at No. 2 overall, and the Colts also have to decide whether he's the type of player they want to face in the AFC South for years to come.

The other quarterbacks offer traits that Young does not. Richardson, Levis and Stroud all have at least five inches of height and 10 pounds of size on him, which also extends to stronger arms. But they each have at least one key question about their playing film, whereas Young's have centered all around a size question that has yet to impact his playing style.

He'll be entering a league of larger players, though the ones he played with and against in the SEC were rather large. He has to survive 17-game seasons at the next level, though the NFL has also created its rulebook around keeping quarterbacks upright so long as they play like passers and not runners, which is how Young has come to define himself.


It helps to have weighed in over 200 pounds, but questions remain about what his playing size actually is. His pro day is later this month, and he's expected to show more of the physical traits that he skipped in this event. They won't match the other quarterbacks in sheer measurables, but they can verify tape that was always going to be his edge.

Regardless of what the scale says, Young is a small quarterback and plays with that understanding. Now, teams like the Colts have to decide whether he fits what they're looking for in the most important position.