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Bryce Young

Small size the big concern

So Bryce Young will be a top 2 pick in next month's draft; maybe No. 1 to Carolina, probably No. 2 to Houston if not. He definitely isn't getting by the Colts at No. 4. The 2021 Heisman winner would probably be a slam-dunk No. 1. If he were bigger.

At the combine, Young measured in at 5-foot-10 and 204 pounds. At Alabama, he was listed at 6-0 (clearly inaccurate, he probably hasn't gotten shorter in the past year) and 194 pounds, which is more likely close to what his playing weight will be. (I saw a story last month where a scout said even 194 pounds was probably well above what he actually weighed. But we'll go with the combine numbers, which would still make him the smallest quarterback -- both height and weight -- selected in the first round this century.

Table shows final year of college numbers for all the first-round quarterback selections since 2000, with height and weight for each player listed. Sorted by weight. The four quarterbacks expected to be drafted in the first round this year are included.

FIRST-ROUND QUARTERBACKS, 2000-PRESENT
YearPkPlayerSchoolPassTDRunTDHtWt
20071JaMarcus RussellLouisiana State31292814216.05265
20111Cam NewtonAuburn2854301473206.05248
200917Josh FreemanKansas State294520404146.06248
2023?Anthony RichardsonFlorida25491765496.04244
201626Paxton LynchMemphis37762823926.07244
200411Ben RoethlisbergerMiami (Ohio)44863711136.05241
20037Byron LeftwichMarshall 426830-136.05241
20187Josh AllenWyoming18121620456.05237
20162Carson WentzNorth Dakota State16511729466.05237
201316EJ ManuelFlorida State 33972331046.05237
20206Justin HerbertOregon3471325046.06236
20101Sam BradfordOklahoma5622-1806.04236
201025Tim TebowFlorida289521910146.03236
200818Joe FlaccoDelaware4263232246.06236
20121Andrew LuckStanford35173715026.04234
201110Blaine GabbertMissouri31861623256.04234
200319Kyle BollerCalifornia281528-8336.03234
20143Blake BortlesCentral Florida35812527266.05232
200722Brady QuinnNotre Dame3426377126.04232
20031Carson PalmerSouthern California394233-12246.05232
201915Dwayne HaskinsOhio State48315010846.03231
20151Jameis WinstonFlorida State3907256536.04231
20118Jake LockerWashington22651738566.02231
200525Jason CampbellAuburn2700203036.05230
2023?Will LevisKentucky240619-10726.04229
201112Christian PonderFlorida State20442018046.02229
20063Vince YoungTexas3036261050126.05229
20044Philip RiversNorth Carolina State44913410936.05229
200018Chad PenningtonMarshall4006389326.03229
202110Justin FieldsOhio State21002238356.03228
20083Matt RyanBoston College450731226.05228
20095Mark SanchezSouthern California3207341636.02227
20213Trey LanceNorth Dakota State2786281100146.04226
201810Josh RosenUCLA375626-9726.04226
200611Jay CutlerVanderbilt30732121516.03226
201710Patrick MahomesTexas Tech505241285126.02225
20091Matthew StaffordGeorgia3459254016.02225
202026Jordan LoveUtah State34022017506.04224
200422J.P. LosmanTulane3077338026.02224
20122Robert Griffin IIIBaylor429337699106.02223
200610Matt LeinartSouthern California3815283666.05223
200524Aaron RodgersCalifornia25662412636.02223
20021David CarrFresno State4299429756.03223
20172Mitchell TrubiskyNorth Carolina37483030856.02222
20152Marcus MariotaOregon445442770156.04222
20201Joe BurrowLouisiana State56716036856.03221
20196Daniel JonesDuke26742232536.05221
20183Sam DarnoldSouthern California4143268256.03221
201712Deshaun WatsonClemson45934162996.02221
20128Ryan TannehillTexas A&M37442930646.04221
201222Brandon WeedenOklahoma State472737-10216.03221
20041Eli ManningMississippi360029-2836.05221
200232Patrick RamseyTulane293522-11516.02219
202220Kenny PickettPittsburgh43194223356.03217
202115Mac JonesAlabama4500411416.03217
20205Tua TagovailoaAlabama2840331726.00217
20051Alex SmithUtah295232631106.04217
200322Rex GrossmanFlorida 340222-6516.01217
201832Lamar JacksonLouisville3660271601186.02216
20181Baker MayfieldOklahoma46274331156.01215
20161Jared GoffCalifornia471943-806.04215
20023Joey HarringtonOregon2415235676.04215
2023?C.J. StroudOhio State36884110806.03214
20212Zach WilsonBrigham Young369233254106.02214
201432Teddy BridgewaterLouisville3970317816.02214
20211Trevor LawrenceClemson31532420386.06213
20011Michael VickVirginia Tech1234861786.00210
20191Kyler MurrayOklahoma4361421001125.10207
201422Johnny ManzielTexas A&M41143775996.00207
2023?Bryce YoungAlabama33283218545.10204

Kyler Murray also measured in at 5-foot-10, and he's generally been a success thus far. Coming to a team that picked first overall the year he was drafted and is still sorting out the rest of the roster and head coaching situation, he's been to two Pro Bowls and had 8-8 and 9-5 seasons in years 2 and 3. Last year he was hurt for six games and the team went 4-13, but I think Murray has shown he can play in the NFL. Murray's listed weight of 207 looks a little more legit than Young's 204, but they're in the same ballpark.

Note that the two most successful quarterbacks in that size range, Murray and Michael Vick, are different kinds of quarterbacks -- they ran a lot in college, and also in the pros. Lots of the smaller quarterbacks did. Young is athletic but running isn't a big part of his game. He didn't run at all in 2021, and not much (15 yards per game) last year.

Looking at the table, you can argue that quarterbacks being really big (like Florida's Anthony Richardson) isn't a great thing either. Several flops at that size, most notably JaMarcus Russell but also Josh Freeman and Paxton Lynch (although those latter guys were late first-rounders). Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Allen turned out OK.

At the moment, I'm expecting Carolina to select C.J. Stroud. Size is a factor, and seems like something that new Panthers head coach Frank Reich and quarterback coach Josh McCown will be taking into consideration. I've heard their talk that they're happy with a couple of different quarterbacks, but I'm not buying it -- they know who they're taking.

--Andy Richardson

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