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Bryce Young's combine numbers squash size debate

By Eric Smithling | Last updated 3/4/23

Bryce Young has one less problem after his weigh-in on Saturday.

Young's size -- instead of his play -- is the biggest story of this NFL Scouting Combine, with many expressing concerns prior to Saturday's weigh-in that Young could potentially weigh less than 200 pounds.

He put that to bed by weighing 204 pounds at the combine.

Alabama QB Bryce Young measurements at the Combine:

Height: 5-10 and 1/8th of an inch
Weight: 204 pounds
Hands: 9 and 3/4ths of an inch
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 4, 2023

His hand measurement isn't a concern, like the people who tried to make Kenny Pickett's diminutive hand size a disqualifying offense last year.

Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. noted Young's numbers are solid and answer a lot of the questions people have about him.

These are really solid numbers for Young. Weight is higher than expected, but that’s a good thing. https://t.co/n1h9gj3LWv
— Mel Kiper Jr. (@MelKiperESPN) March 4, 2023

His height -- 5 foot, 10 inches -- is on the shorter side when it comes to QBs but puts him in line with former first-overall pick Kyler Murray.

Kyler Murray’s measurements at the 2019 Combine:

Height: 5-10 and 1/8th of an inch
Weight: 207 pounds
Hands: 9 and 1/2 of an inch

Bryce Young is virtually identical today. https://t.co/8zuCrYP5Gw
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 4, 2023

While his career has been uneven, it's difficult to suggest Murray hasn't proved detractors wrong by reaching two Pro Bowls and winning Offensive Rookie Of The Year in 2019 while being the shortest QB in the NFL.

Others QBs including Super Bowl winners Drew Brees and Russell Wilson have shown over the years that being shorter than average for a quarterback isn't a reflection of ones talent. And as QBs like Paxton Lynch and Brock Osweiler have shown, being really tall isn't a sign a player is going to pan out, either.

Young addressed the concerns on Friday, a day before his official weigh-in.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young @_bryce_young @AlabamaFTBL #NFLCombine2023 @KPRC2 emphasized he's confident his size won't impact his ability to play in NFL @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/Z1er2fi9Kn
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 3, 2023

He downplayed the worries by saying he's the same size at the combine as he's been his entire life, including while at Alabama where he threw for 8,200 yards the last two seasons and won a Heisman Trophy and an SEC championship over Georgia in 2021.

So you're telling me Bryce Young was only 5-10 and 1/8th of an inch when he went 25-43 for 412 yards and 3TDs to beat the best collegiate defense of the past decade? https://t.co/TwiqJD2oUk pic.twitter.com/Ed0rUL0JcD
— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) March 4, 2023

If there is one genuine concern, it's how Young's body will hold up after taking hits multiple hits in a season from 300-pound lineman, but even that is less concerning when viewing Young's sack numbers last season.

In 2022 at Alabama, Young was sacked 16 times in 375 dropbacks that resulted in a pass attempt or sack. To put that in context, his 4.2 percent sack rate on dropbacks was smaller than NFL QBs including Josh Allen (5.4 percent), Jalen Hurts (6.3 percent) and Joe Burrow (6.4 percent), according to data from Pro Football Focus.

Young's ability to evade pressure is second to none among QBs in this draft class and that trait will serve him well at the next level.

He already made one impressive escape by getting all those worried about his size off his back.

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