Bryce Young’s Pro Day is officially in the books. The Alabama quarterback threw in front of NFL scouts at the school’s first of two practice sessions, and the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner didn’t disappoint.
Young was calm, cool, and collected as he completed a script of about 50 pitches during the event, and he was successful at it. He completed 44 of them, but only two of the errors were attributed to him. Those were two deep throws that saw him drop his receiver about a step.
The other four misses came from two drops by Jermaine Burton and two deep throws that hit the roof/net at the Alabama practice facility.
MORE: Highlights, breakdown of Bryce Young’s pro day
All in all, it was a strong performance for Young and it certainly won’t hurt his draft. Of course, it can’t help that much either.
Young was already considered a likely top 2 pick — and a likely top 4 lock — so his pro day was all about campaigning for the #1 pick. He’s certainly done well enough to stay in the mix for that honor.
That said, NFL teams will surely treasure the tape from Young’s college career and interviews more than his pro-day workout. You can use it as a baseline to compare him to some of the other top quarterback prospects in the draft, but only so much can be gleaned from watching a quarterback throwing routes on air.
Still, NFL decision-makers were able to learn some important things from Bryce Young’s Pro Day. Here are Sporting News’ top takeaways related to Young.
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Young’s ball placement is his greatest strength
Young’s accuracy was already something that stood out on tape, but his ball placement is truly elite.
Throughout his training, Young was not only able to routinely connect with his receivers, but he was also able to hit them in the crotch. The ball almost always hit them exactly where it needed to be, right in their hands. This allowed the receivers to move in step when catching the ball.
That’ll be important for the next level, as that kind of accuracy allows Young to not only throw it away from defenders, but also create opportunities for his receivers to generate yards after the catch.
You can see how accurate Young was on some of his best throws of the day – one was a deep throw and two that landed in midrange.
.@_bryce_young indicated the arm @alabamaftbl Profit day ????????
????: NFL+ Pro Days Live https://t.co/mcqR41sJrt pic.twitter.com/hfvKHmGSWY
— NFL (@NFL) March 23, 2023
Bryce Young’s throwing session has begun. The indoor facility is eerily quiet on Pro Day in Alabama. pic.twitter.com/mYkmLkw25n
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) March 23, 2023
Nice out route throw by Bryce Young. pic.twitter.com/4kZImwkrKb
— D. Orlando Ledbetter (@DOrlandoAJC) March 23, 2023
There was only one finish where Young felt like he had missed his place a little. That came early in the session when he threw a pass to his receiver, who had to jump to catch the pass that came up.
You can see this throw in the first video included in the tweet below.
A few Bryce Young throws… pic.twitter.com/ZjDieDj0jD
— Brett Greenberg (@74Talk) March 23, 2023
That was one of Young’s worst shots of the day is certainly a win for him. Why? Because it was still a perfectly catchable pass.
It also speaks to how consistently Young threw the rest of the day.
Young’s arm is strong enough for the NFL
Again, this is something that is known from the band, but there has been a lot of talk about the cannon arms owned by CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis on the combine. There was less excitement around Young’s arm, which wasn’t thought to be quite as large.
Still, it was clear Thursday that Young’s arm is large enough to perform all of the required NFL-caliber throws.
Young had no shortage of passes on his pro day. The ones that didn’t hit the recipients directly in the hands were throws. Receivers really didn’t have to come back to get the ball or stop to make catches on the field.
This throw shows exactly how good Young’s arm is. He was able to bring his receiver down with a perfect pass while rolling to the left. He essentially faded in the opposite direction of the pass, but still made it there with ease.
.@_bryce_young indicated the arm @alabamaftbl Profit day ????????
????: NFL+ Pro Days Live https://t.co/mcqR41sJrt pic.twitter.com/hfvKHmGSWY
— NFL (@NFL) March 23, 2023
So yes. While Young’s greatest strengths might be accuracy and ball placement, don’t discount his arm. Having routine success at the NFL level is good enough for him.
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Weight remains an issue for Young, not height
Many will roll their eyes at the Bryce Young height debate, and with good reason.
Short players have proven that they can be successful at the quarterback position. Young has arguably been the best quarterback in college football for the past two seasons, and there’s precedent for a player of his similar size, Kyler Murray, becoming the No. 1 overall pick.
So why are we still talking about this? Well, Young is about his weight, not his height.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, talent evaluators actually have fairly minor concerns about Young’s 5-10 1/8 height. They’re confident his high clearance will help him transition to the NFL level with ease.
One of the big takeaways from Bryce Young’s pro day is that the reviewers noted how high his layoff is and that he is steadfast in his performance. Doesn’t bend much. When you see him live, he throws bigger than he is. Concerns about its metrics relate to weight, not size.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 23, 2023
In fact, this description of the playstyle is a bit reminiscent of Russell Wilson coming into the league. So this will help Young possibly become a success.
However, Young’s weight is a little more concerning. Why? Because he’s on the light side and teams are often concerned about the durability of lighter quarterbacks. Therefore measurements at this position carry more weight (figuratively and literally).
Young weighed just 204 pounds during the 2023 NFL Combine. That was close to Murray’s height leaving college and was seen as an asset for Young.
So it was no surprise that Young chose not to be weighed and measured on his pro day. However, this will raise some concerns that Young has just gained weight – more specifically, water weight – for the combine. He could have calmed those down by weighing 200 on his pro day, but instead chose to just throw.
There’s nothing wrong with that decision, and it’s entirely possible that Young won’t consistently break the 200 mark. That said, his weight becomes a small issue that teams need to consider before calling him up.
MORE: Bryce Young’s height draws comparisons to Kyler Murray
The Panthers are doing everything they can to evaluate their options for the No
The Panthers may have an idea of what they’ll do with the 2023 NFL Draft pick. Despite this, they gather as much information as possible to make a decision about the design.
Carolina sent 11 members of its front office and ownership group to CJ Stroud’s Pro Day on Wednesday. The same party attended and interacted with Bryce Young’s workout on Thursday.
Young reportedly had dinner with the Panthers Wednesday night before his practice session. Then, on his pro day on Thursday, he was seen chatting with Carolina’s coach Frank Reich before his practice began.
And before he took the field, Panthers owner Nicole Tepper was seen talking to the quarterback and hugging him.
Owner Nicole Tepper wishes Alabama QB Bryce Young the best of luck ahead of his pro day pic.twitter.com/Y3jhDrVweM
— Augusta Stone (@augustalstone) March 23, 2023
So while there was a lot of fuss surrounding Stroud to the Panthers, it looks like Carolina is doing more than just his due diligence for Young. The Alabama quarterback appears to be in the mix for the No. 1 pick.
Soon we’ll see if he, Stroud, or someone else will make the selection.