Bryce Young on height before NFL Draft: 'I can’t grow'

Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young has once again brushed off concerns about his size ahead of the NFL Draft that gets underway Thursday night. 

"I’m confident in my abilities," Young told reporters on Wednesday, as shared by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "I don’t know how to play the game another way. I’ve been this size relative to the people around me my entire life. I focus on what I control, and I can’t grow. That doesn’t fall into that category. I can’t get any taller." 

Young measured in at 5-foot-10 1/8 and weighed 204 pounds at the combine but likely was walking around at a lighter weight earlier this spring. 

It's widely believed the Carolina Panthers decided some time ago to make Young the No. 1 pick of the 2023 draft on Thursday. As of Wednesday afternoon, OddsChecker listed Young as the overwhelming favorite to go No. 1 at -1250. Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Will Levis checked in at +1000 while C.J. Stroud of the Ohio State Buckeyes is +2500.  

Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer hinted last week he isn't overly worried about Young's lack of ideal height for featuring at the sport's most important position, while the signal-caller later noted he has been "playing with a lot of people that have been bigger than me my entire life." 

However, ESPN NFL Draft guru Todd McShay admitted in February he'd be "scared to death of drafting" Young as a general manager. McShay more recently suggested that Young could struggle with injury issues at the highest level as has Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Meanwhile, CBS Sports' Pete Prisco has argued that the Panthers should take Levis, in part because Prisco "just couldn't draft a quarterback that small first overall." Of the six CBS Sports analysts who have updated mock drafts this week, only Prisco has predicted that Carolina will take anybody (Levis) instead of Young. 

"I focus on myself," Young added on Wednesday. "I’m confident in myself with what I’ve been able to do and I’m excited for the work it’s going to take."