Bryce Young scouting report: Everything to know about Panthers new star QB

Bryce Young is one of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft and we are breaking down the full scouting report for the Alabama QB.

Much of the discussion around the 2023 NFL Draft class has revolved around the quarterbacks and Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is at the forefront of those talks. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner was wildly prolific throughout his career at Tuscaloosa and now figures to be one of the top picks in the 2023 draft.

But even if you know that Bryce Young is exceptionally talented, you might be looking for more. Who is this quarterback that a team is going to take early in the 2023 NFL Draft?

We’ve got you covered with a beginner’s guide to the 2023 NFL Draft with looks at the top prospects. Here we have the full Bryce Young scouting report to break down for you.

Bryce Young scouting report: Height, weight, Alabama stats

At the 2023 NFL Combine, Young measured in at 5-foot-10 and 1/8 and 204 pounds. The height was as expected but the weight clearing the 200-pound threshold was clearly a goal for the quarterback. However, his playing weight in college was likely closer to 190 pounds than the 204-pound mark we saw — though it is a positive sign that he can add more mass.

As for his numbers, over the 2021 and 2022 seasons as the starter at Alabama, Young threw for 8,185 yards while completing roughly 65% of his throws and compiled 79 touchdowns to just 12 interceptions.

Bryce Young scouting report: Biggest strengths

When it comes to top draft prospects, you’re always looking for the trump card that they have. For Bryce Young, it’s his playmaking. The quarterback is completely unbothered by pressure and has an uncanny ability to not just evade pressure but to then make a play. Throughout his film at Alabama, you see a player who elevated quite literally everyone around him routinely with at least two moments per game that make you say, “How the hell did he do that?”

Beyond that, while Young doesn’t have the elite arm strength that some other quarterbacks in the class do, he’s more than capable of whipping the ball effectively to all levels of the field and doing so off-platform as well.

Moreover, Young’s accuracy is highly underrated as well. Even out of structure, he’s more than capable of hitting his spots routinely and throwing his guys open as well.

Put simply, Bryce Young is a gamer who makes it happen.

Bryce Young scouting report: Biggest weaknesses

Size. That’s what you’re going to hear constantly from Young detractors. The Alabama quarterback is a historic outlier at just a hair over 5-foot-10 and that aforementioned inflated weight at the combine of 204 pounds. With a player that small and, more pressingly, slight, there are legitimate durability concerns at the NFL level.

Though the size is by far the biggest concern, there is a bit of YOLO to Young’s game that does concern some people. He’s exceptionally creative and dynamic but sometimes a bit too much so. There are worries that, at the NFL level when facing NFL pressure, it could lead to him forming bad habits early in his career.

Bryce Young pro comparison

As an undersized playmaker, there are going to be a lot of comparisons to Russell Wilson that make sense for Young. However, I prefer to look at him as a more mobile and dynamic Drew Brees. Young is exceptionally accurate and makes plays for his receivers consistently much in the way that Brees did, but does so with more creativity and out-of-structure playmaking, which is where the Wilson comp does hold some merit. All told, a hybrid of Wilson and Brees is probably the right comparison.