Report: Bryce Young will not throw at 2023 NFL Scouting Combine
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young will not throw at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
Young dealt with a shoulder injury throughout the 2022 season and led Alabama to a Sugar Bowl victory over Kansas State. However, he opted to go to Indianapolis for the combine, but not participate in any drills.
The Alabama star could be the first quarterback selected in the draft.
“Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud will throw at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine, while Alabama QB Bryce Young will wait to do so for his pro day, sources tell me and Tom Pelissero,” Rapoport wrote on Twitter. “Young is long past his AC joint injury from this season, but he’ll just do interviews in Indy.”
During ESPN’s mock draft special, Mel Kiper Jr. revealed that while he’s a fan of Young — even comparing him to Patrick Mahomes at times — there’s one thing that worries him about the former Crimson Tide quarterback’s NFL future.
“Holding up physically is the key concern,” stated Kiper. “You saw him injured this past year at Alabama. He only started two years, right? Backed up Mac Jones. The NFL’s a different entity. Quarterbacks go down, Adam [Schefter] covers it every week, injuries to somebody. They’re bigger, stronger, more physically imposing than Bryce Young. Holding up, definitely, I put the bar at 195. 195 or higher, for me, is QB1. Less than 195, he’s QB2.”
Young won the Heisman Trophy during the 2021 season. He finished his college career with 8,356 yards, 80 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 65.8% completion percentage.
Despite battling a shoulder issue, Young decided to not shut it down in the postseason. That might show more to NFL scouts rather than not participating, at least physically, in the combine.
“But I think these guys send a message to everybody that you create value for yourself by playing football,” head coach Nick Saban said. “You don’t create value for yourself by opting out and saying I’m gonna get ready for the draft. Because, what are you getting ready for? A combine? Half the stuff you do at the combine isn’t relative to football.
“But when you play against good competition, and you play well, that creates value. And I think it speaks volumes of your character, and you choose to be a part of your team and you can be counted on to be a part of your team, regardless of the circumstances and you finish the season with your team.