Expert Analysis
3/4/23
3 min read
Big Deal: Bryce Young Weighs In at 204 Pounds at NFL Combine
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (scouting report) showed up bigger than expected Saturday morning at the NFL Combine.
The highly ranked draft prospect measured at 5-foot-10 1/8 and 204 pounds, the latter number being more significant.
>>READ: QB, WR combine preview
Alabama's team website listed him at 6 feet, 194 pounds. Young had told reporters Friday he expected to check in at around 200 pounds.
Scouts and pundits have expressed concerns about Young's size, though he shrugged them off when asked about it.
“I’ve been this size, respectfully, my whole life,” Young said Friday in Indianapolis. “I know who I am; I know what I can do. For me, it’s fair; everyone can speculate, ask me every question. I’m going to continue to control what I can control, continue to keep working my hardest. … I’m confident in myself. I know what I can do.”
Kyler Murray, who the Arizona Cardinals selected as the No. 1 pick of the 2019 draft, measured 5-foot-10 1/8, 207 pounds at the combine. Murray is the shortest first-round signal-caller since 1967, and tied for the lightest with Johnny Manziel, who was taken No. 22 overall in 2014. They are the only two quarterbacks drafted in the first round under 6 feet.
Young performed well on the field. He won the Heisman Trophy and the SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2021. In his two seasons as a starter for Alabama, he threw for 79 touchdowns with 12 interceptions while compiling a 24-3 starting record. In his final college game, Alabama’s Sugar Bowl win over Kansas State in January, Young threw for 321 yards and five touchdowns.
Young said he doesn’t follow what is said and written about him.
“To be honest, I don’t really know too much about what’s said about me,” Young said. “I’m grateful for everyone’s opinion … I respect everyone’s opinion, but I focus on what I can control. I take the advice and the direction of the people that I trust.”
Young met formally with the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans at the combine, he said on Friday. The Bears have the No. 1 pick in the draft, and the Texans have the Nos. 2 and 12 picks.
