Bryce Young 'high up' on Mel Kiper Jr.'s quarterback board

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater10/06/22

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Wesley Hitt | Getty Images

After winning the Heisman Trophy a season ago, Bryce Young became as ‘can’t miss’ a prospect the 2023 NFL Draft has. The efficiency and production he has had at Alabama have solidified him among the best QBs in the class. Even with some of the concerns, Mel Kiper Jr. is still very high on Young come this spring.

Kiper Jr. joined ‘KJM’ to discuss next year’s draft as well as Young. The first thing that always comes up as a negative is his size, but ESPN’s draft expert says teams will just have to understand that Young is a different quarterback than they’ve seen before.

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“You say small or are you just short? Remember, Russell Wilson was 5’10 and three-quarters, but he was a strong, compact 5’10 and three-quarters. Same thing with Kyler Murray. Bryce Young has a different body type,” said Kiper Jr. “What’s he going to be? We don’t know. Is he gonna be 5’11? 5’11 and a half? He’s listed at six foot. Is he going to be 175? 180? 190? We don’t know, but the bottom line is he doesn’t have that stature of the guys who are just short but weren’t small. Bryce is a different kind of quarterback from that standpoint.”

The size hasn’t affected him too much as QB1 for the Crimson Tide. In 2021, Young tosses for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns during his Heisman campaign. To start 2022, he’s on another solid pace with 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns to this point.

At the end of the day, Kiper Jr. says to not discount Young because of his size. What he does for a team, especially efficiency-wise and in the clutch, is something that has kept him near the top of all his boards.

“In money time, he’s huge. What he’s done as a point guard distributing the football and the way he plays the game? You’ve got to appreciate that right now. He’s pretty high up on my board,” Kiper Jr. said.

Some may prefer the more ‘sure fire’ QBs when it comes to look, like a CJ Stroud or a Will Levis. Still, Young is every bit the quarterback both of those players are and is arguably even more. Ignoring size has worked out before when it came to the careers of Wilson and Murray. It’s now all about who sees a fit and who is willing to take that risk in Kansas City this spring.