Ben Arthur
AFC South reporter
Bryce Young knows the talk is out there. The talk of his height. Questions about your weight. Opinions on how his game will translate to the NFL. Thoughts on where he will land at the top of the draft.
The reality, however, is that he is not very sure about the details about him.
“I’m grateful for everybody’s opinions, for the media, for all the coverage and everything, but I’m not really on social media much,” Young said Friday at the NFL Combine. “I’m not really looking too hard at myself. I respect everyone’s opinion, but I focus on what I can control. I take advice and direction from people I trust. [those] in my corner and those on the next level.”
Most of the conversation surrounding the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner has undoubtedly revolved around his frame.
His Alabama bio generously lists him at 6 feet tall, 194 pounds. He is on the smaller side. We won’t know his exact size until Saturday, when quarterback prospects take their measurements in Indianapolis. But speculation about Young’s measurements has been rife. He barely stayed above the shoulders of a tight end prospect when he arrived at the combine earlier this week.
Earlier in the offseason, a standing photo was taken between legendary Saints quarterback Drew Brees and teammate CJ Stroud. Young was shorter than Brees, who is officially listed at 6 feet.
Young said he’s been around the “200-pound range,” an expected benchmark for many draft evaluators.
As for your height?
“I’ve been this size, respectfully, my whole life,” Young said. “I know who I am. I know what I can do. It’s fair, everybody can speculate… I’ll continue to control what I can control. I’ll continue to work as hard as I can to put myself in a good position. I have confidence in myself. I know what I can do do”.
Young, the potential No. 1 overall pick and widely regarded as the best quarterback in the draft, has been arguably the best signal-caller in college football the past two seasons. Since 2021, when he became Alabama’s starting quarterback, Young has completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 8,200 yards and 79 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions.
He guided the Crimson Tide to the national championship game as a sophomore, a loss to Georgia, and then to a Sugar Bowl victory over Kansas State last season, earning MVP honors with a sparkling performance — a completion rate 71.4% for 321 yards and five. touchdowns without interceptions.
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Asked about the best part of his game, Young said he prides himself on his leadership.
“I know this is something I have to earn at the next level,” Young said. “I feel like I’m someone who pushes me and I take pride in my preparation and processing and leading a team and an offense. For me, I feel like I do what I think is best for the team. I try to be efficient. decisions”.
Who has Young looked to for advice on preparing for the next level? His former Alabama teammate and current Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, whom he backed up as a freshman.
“My drive isn’t necessarily to prove anything,” Young said. “I think for me it’s trying to explain all the things that I see to all the coaches, to all the decision makers. To express myself, to talk about how I see the game.
“For me, where I end up is something I can’t control. I’m going to give everything to the team that takes me,” he continued. “I’m really excited to be here. My dream is to play in the NFL. To be able to be here, no matter what team takes me, it’s a blessing.”
Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) before moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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