Bryce Young
Alabama
Quarterback
6’0, 194lb
2022: 245/380, 3,328 pass yards, 32 TDS, 5 Ints
Pros
Bryce Young is undoubtedly the best QB prospect in this class, a former Heisman Trophy winner, and a finalist in 2023. All my coaches in football or any sport would always tell us to “keep your head on a swivel”. This might be Young’s greatest attribute. Young possesses the talent to be an effective player at the next level and should be considered the most NFL-ready QB.
Young has the best processing mind in this year’s draft and it’s not even close. Think about what happened last year when Brock Purdy took the reigns in San Francisco. The team looked better than it did with long-time starter Jimmy Garoppolo. A lot of this was because Purdy was able to slow down the game and make the correct reads. Now think of Young as a more athletic version of Purdy. I’ll continue by saying that both were top of their class on the Wonderlic test, which tests a player’s cognitive abilities. This intelligence and readiness will 100% make him the most NFL-ready QB.
Young also has plenty of physical talents. He can make every throw and even tries the Pat Mahomes side throws. I think everyone is trying to be like Mahomes, just like every point guard wants to be Steph Curry. Young really does throw the ball with the conviction needed to be great.
He’s also a good runner even though his career at Alabama with 139 carries for 162 yards and seven touchdowns doesn’t say much. A lot of times he needs to commit to the run instead of improvising and waiting for a receiver to get open. One thing that I am impressed with is Young’s ability to recognize that he needs to slide more. “I think one thing just in general I can get better at for sure is just learning how to like baseball slide,” Young told Profootballtalk. Once again showing Young’s intelligence and willingness to get better.
Cons
The Alabama Quarterback has some negatives as well. The glaring chink in his armor is his size, he’s six foot and just under 200 pounds. Now this isn’t unheard of in the NFL, but with the speed of the game and the size of the men on defense, it definitely will make fans cringe every time he is hit. The good thing is that he’s played in the SEC for his entire college career, so he’s played some of the best defenders that have been drafted over the last two years.
Something else to look at is his touch and ability to lead his receivers. The difference between the 2021 and 2022 Alabama receiving corps was night and day. The loss of John Metchie and Jameson Williams led to Young having to adjust his throws. This led to a lower competition percentage of 64.5, 1,500 fewer passing yards, and 16 fewer touchdowns than his Heisman year.
Also Young through fewer passes in 2022 (380), and his receivers still dropped 8.2% of his passes. Throughout the 2022 season, you see Young start to realize he doesn’t have the same guys. He was trying to force the ball into his guy’s hands because he did;t believe they could reach out and catch it. This often led to him overthrowing the ball because he was not on the same page as his receiver.
Considering he is being rumored to the Panthers, who just gave up their best receiver in a deal to be in this position. DJ Moore is in Chicago, which leaves the likes of Adam Thielen, Shi Smith, and Terrace Marshall for Young to work with. So will he be able to elevate the talent of a bad team or will he sink down to their level?
Summary
Bryce Young is the most talented QB in this draft and if he were 6’2, 220 then he’d be the most hyped player since Trevor Lawrence. He’s a big-brain QB who will get a chance to turn around a team (either the Texans or Panthers) that has been historically bad. Regardless of this man’s height, he is the perfect guy to build a franchise around, he’s been a Heisman Trophy winner, a leader at Alabama, and someone who had to adapt to his team.
A lot like Russell Wilson, he’s dangerous when he’s outside the pocket and under pressure. Young had a 119.1 NFL passer rating when blitzed and 95.2 when under pressure. Think that’s not impressive enough then consider he was in the SEC, the conference has produced the most NFL draft picks for 16 straight seasons and will look to make it 17 in 2023. He’ll have to channel his inner “Dangeruss” to succeed early on.
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Overall I think Young is a Franchise QB who is going to be more of a long-term investment for both an NFL team and our fantasy football teams. He’s not going to set the world on fire in year one but there’s definitely a higher long-term ceiling for Young than the other QBs.
2023 Dynasty Rookie Draft
Ideal Role: Franchise Quarterback
Player Comp: Russell Wilson and Brock Purdy
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