While much of the questions surrounding Bryce Young’s future in the NFL have centered on his smaller-than-preferred size for the position, a quarterback coach in the league that has evaluated him sees some concerning things in his arm.
Following the end of the 2022 season, many teams began the process of doing a deep dive into the prospects who will be up for grabs in this month’s NFL Draft. And for the teams that need a franchise QB — and there are many — they did their homework on the four signal callers expected to go in the first round.
As the process played out, including the NFL Combine and pro days, it always seemed like Bryce Young was the best of the QB bunch despite his 6-foot, and 194-pound frame likely being lower than what was listed in his Alabama Crimson Tide profile.
The Carolina Panthers also seemingly came to that realization last week, and the NFL world expects them to take him with the top pick overall after he canceled the rest of the interviews he had with interested teams. However, a coach with expertise in the position recently offered up some reasons why the Panthers should be a little nervous about taking the one-time Heisman Trophy winner.
Bryce Young stats (2022): 3,328 passing yards, 32 TD, 5 INT, 163.2 rating
On Monday, The Athletic released a story about opinions from several NFL quarterback coaches who have evaluated and interviewed players like Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis, and Anthony Richardson — the top QBs in this draft. When it comes to Bryce Young, they didn’t like certain key elements of his passing abilities that had nothing to do with his size.
“I think people are viewing Bryce as a perfect prospect otherwise, but he’s not perfect even without the size. His arm is not strong. It is below what most of the better quarterbacks in the NFL have. I think he will struggle to make some throws on the field outside the numbers. On seam routes, crossing routes, he’s going to be a little late.
“His footwork isn’t good because he’s got this Steph Curry style, that’s like, ‘I’m playing like I’m not even sweating.’ It’s awesome, but you’re gonna miss on some throws being a tick late on-time throws. He was a little loose in college because I think he knew I can get away with this. C.J. [Stroud’s] footwork was tight, and really good. He has a much higher floor. Bryce has a higher ceiling for sure.”
– Anonymous NFL QB coach
So much has been made about Bryce Young’s size being his biggest problem heading into the NFL, however, it is worrisome that there are key parts of the job that he could also have serious issues with at the next level.