NFL Rumors: Alabama Quarterback Bryce Young's Size Won't Affect Draft Stock

Few players' measurements will be as closely scrutinized at the NFL Combine this week as Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, but even a shocking result shouldn't ultimately matter. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Young's size is not expected to affect his status as the potential first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.

From NFL Now: Bryce Young will be measured tomorrow, but whatever the answers end up being are unlikely to affect his status as the probable top pick. pic.twitter.com/9vLzrD53aS
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 3, 2023

Young was listed as 6'0" and 194 pounds at Alabama. If true (college programs are sometimes generous), he would be slight by prototypical quarterback standards. It certainly didn't diminish his effectiveness in college: he won the Heisman Trophy and played in the College Football Championship in his spectacular 2021 season.

Smaller quarterbacks have a mixed rate of success in the NFL. The gold standard is (and may always be) New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees, who retired after the 2020 season as the NFL's all-time leading passer and a one-time Super Bowl Champion. He measured in at 6'0" and 213 pounds at the 2001 NFL Combine. Similarly diminutive quarterbacks Kyler Murray (5'10", 207 lbs) and Russell Wilson (5'11, 204 lbs) have also found success in the pros.

The achievements of Brees, Wilson, and Murray don't mean small stature isn't an impediment. Johnny Manziel (6'0", 207 lbs) was a disaster, and Baker Mayfield (6'1", 215 lbs) wasn't far behind. Success in the NFL is relative. In the current NFL landscape, a player the calibre of Murray or Wilson may not be worth all that much: Murray's Cardinals finished 4-13 last year, and Wilson's Broncos finished dead last in points scored. If they're the upper limit of what Bryce Young is capable of, teams must consider carefully whether that truly merits the first overall pick.