Bryce Young (QB-Alabama)
Age: 21 (22 when he’s in the NFL)
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 204 LBS
24/7 Sports Composite: 0.9994 (5-Star)
Injury History: AC Joint sprain in 2022
Accolades:
Heisman Trophy Winner (2021)
Consensus All-American (2021)
First Team All-SEC (2021)
Second Team All-SEC (2022)
High School:
Bryce Young was a high school football phenom. After spending his first two years of high school at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, California, Young would transfer for his final two years at powerhouse Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, California. Young in his senior season would set the high school football world on fire where he would pass for 4,528 yards and 48 touchdowns. Young would go on to become California’s Gatorade player of the year, USA Times high school offensive player of the year, and the Los Angeles Times player of the year. Young would finish his prolific high school career with 13,520 passing yards and 152 touchdowns and was ranked as the nation’s #1 quarterback prospect. Young originally decided that he would stay home to play for the USC Trojans, but after taking a visit with Alabama, Young would de-commit from USC and commit to further his football career and play for the Crimson Tide.
Freshman:
Young would be the team’s backup quarterback as a true freshman. Young in the nine games where he would come in for relief duties for Mac Jones, threw 156 passing yards and 1 touchdown pass.
Sophomore:
After Jones would declare for the NFL Draft, the keys to the Tide offense now belonged to Young. He would live up to the hype and then some. Young went on to throw for 4,872 passing yards and 47 touchdowns. These marks were the most amongst the power five conferences and second most in the entire FBS. Along with winning all of the quarterback awards, Young would be named as the winner of the Heisman trophy award. This made him the first Alabama quarterback to win the award. The team unfortunately would fall short to the Georgia Bulldogs in the National Championship game.
Junior:
Young was on his way once again to at least having similar production from the previous year, but an AC joint sprain that was suffered against Arkansas, would cause Young to miss a game and would also hamper him for a portion of the season. Young would finish the season with 3,328 passing yards and 32 passing touchdowns. Alabama as a whole would fall short of expectations, as they finished the season with an 11-2 record and ultimately missed the college football playoff. His prolific Alabama career would come to an end and his 8,356 passing yards and 80 touchdowns would rank as the second most all time in school history. Young would later declare for the NFL Draft.
STRENGTHS:
Elite Anticipation. Throws guys open on a consistent basis. Ball comes out before the receiver is at the top of their route.
Elite Improvisation. Young is elite at being able to extend the play and create off-script. He’s also very elusive which helps his improvisation. He can scramble and pick up yardage on the ground when needed.
He’s accurate on all levels of the field. Ball placement is consistently good. He makes throws that allow for the receiver to rack up yards after the catch at a high level.
Has a NFL arm. He can make throws from the opposite hash and hit some tight windows.
Despite being a shorter guy, he attacks the middle of the field really well and doesn’t really see a lot of passes batted.
WEAKNESSES:
Durability is his biggest concern. Weighing in at 204 pounds at the NFL combine helps, but will he play at that weight at the next level? 5’10” would make him one of the shortest quarterbacks in the league.
Sometimes his lower body mechanics can be a bit inconsistent which causes some misses.
Turnover worth plays can happen at times when the pressure gets to him.
His arm isn’t on the elite level like some of the best in the league.
OVERALL:
Bryce Young is an extremely unique quarterback prospect. His intangibles are off the charts but is far from having the prototypical size at the position. I don’t worry about his level of play at the next level with his physical deficiencies, but I am worried about him remaining durable over the course of the season. Kyler Murray, who he closely resembles with his height and weight, multiple times has gotten injured in the second half of the NFL season.
I don’t think he’s quite the athlete that a Murray or Russell Wilson are nor has the arm strength of those two, but I suspect Young will be a good pro quarterback and he will make a team better.
Carr’s Grading System:
9.5-10: The Perfect Prospect. No holes in their game with the expectation they become the best player at their position. Future HOF lock.
9.0-9.4: This player will be a top 5 player at their position in the future. Multiple all-pros in their future.
8.5-8.9: This player becomes a top 10 player at their position. Pro Bowls in their future.
8.0-8.4: Above average starter. First round talent.
(BOB) BOOM OR BUST
7.5-7.9: Average NFL player. Dependable starter Round 2-3 player
7.1-7.4: Below Average NFL player. Will be a rotational piece, a backup, or depth player. Round 4 or later player.
6.5-7.0: Bust, undrafted player, practice squad or special teams player.
6.4 or lower: Stay Away at all costs
GRADE: 8.2 (Above average starter. First round talent)
Player Comparison: Shorter Deshaun Watson
Potential Fits: Texans, Colts, Panthers
