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To give you an idea of how long Bryce Young has been getting ready for the NFL, his parents gave him lessons with quarterback coach Tim Arthurs when he was just five years old. Not even a decade later Young began receiving college offers while at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, including his first offer in June of 2016, when he was 14, by then-Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury. Young transferred to well-known Mater Dei High School where he led the Monarchs to California state championships in 2018 and 2019. He took down a slew of awards in his senior year, including being named the Gatorade Player of the Year in California, High School Quarterback of the Year by the National Quarterback Club, Maxwell Offensive Player of the Year, and co-MaxPreps Player of the Year (shared with fellow five-star quarterback DJ Uiagalelei).
Young finished as the No. 1 overall in recruit in the Top247 and was obviously a 247Sports.com composite five-star prospect. Not surprisingly, he received offers from practically every major college program, originally committing to his hometown USC, but switched to Alabama when coach Nick Saban suggested he could make a million dollars off of his Name, Image and Likeness deals.
The soon-to-be 22-year-old leaves Alabama as one of its most decorated quarterbacks ever. He is first and fourth on their all-time single-game passing yards list, first and fifth on their all-time single-season passing yards list and second in all-time passing yards behind A.J. McCarron. He won two National Championships (one as a starter) and was the Heisman Trophy winner in 2021. It’s clear Young has the pedigree to be a professional quarterback.
Age as of Week 1: 22 | Height: 5-foot-10 1/8 | Weight: 204 | 40-time: TBD
Comparable body-type to: DeVonta Smith
We’re breaking down everything you need to know about Young from a Fantasy manager perspective, including best fits, Dynasty outlook, measurables, scouting report, key stats and an NFL comparison.
Best realistic Fantasy fitsIndianapolis Colts
The Colts have a bright offensive coach in Shane Steichen, the makings of a solid offensive line (despite what we saw last year) and a trio of giant pass-catchers in Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce and tight end Jelani Woods. And if Young’s tendency to target his running backs comes with him to the pros, his arrival would be a boon for Jonathan Taylor. The framework is there for Young to make an impact in 2023 and well beyond.
Seattle Seahawks
Pete Carroll’s been here before: Newbie quarterback clicked into an offense with talented receivers — except this time, the quarterback would be ready and not immediately dismissed as inexperienced or mediocre. Seattle’s O-line is young at tackle and needy in the middle, so that’s an issue, but there is absolutely no issue regarding the quality receivers and running backs in town. This would be Young’s best bet to actually contribute in 2023 Fantasy leagues, but the current Seattle offense may be too run-focused to annually offer chances at 600-plus pass attempts.
Less-realistic Fantasy fitsNew York Jets
Already boasting a tremendous defense, a deep roster of offensive linemen and a playmaker at wide receiver and running back, many folks believe the Jets are finally ready to go for it at quarterback. Young would be their catalyst to fight for AFC East crowns for at least the next four seasons while instantly landing with a terrific supporting cast. Fantasy managers would dig Young in green.
Atlanta Falcons
Arthur Smith’s reputation as a run-dominant playcaller would fly out of the window if they moved up to get Young. An already-good O-line would protect the rookie, who would throw to high-ceiling targets Kyle Pitts and Drake London. Atlanta’s running backs can catch, too. The Falcons would stake their claim to NFC South contention with Young, and they might even be able to recoup a draft pick for Desmond Ridder.
Next-best Fantasy fits: Las Vegas, Carolina, Houston, Tennessee
Dynasty outlookYoung is a Week 1 NFL starter whose Fantasy potential will only be inhibited by who coaches him and who he plays with. He’s an NFL-ready passer who should raise the numbers of his receivers thanks to his polished, mature skill-set. His rushing potential shouldn’t be overrated — he’s more of a passer than a runner — but he will find some numbers on the ground. Bank on Young going top-3 overall in Superflex/two-QB formats and toward the back of Round 1 in one-QB rookie drafts.
Scouting reportStrengths
Well-trained quarterback with a quick throwing motion and feet frequently in sync with his eyes.Consistently displayed a great understanding of reading coverages both pre- and post-snap and making decisions based off of those things. Knew his playbook and regularly made it to his second and third reads when the first option was taken away. Correctly checked-down to his running backs when facing heavy zone coverage. Made a habit of freezing linebackers and safeties to get the one-on-one matchups he wants downfield.Consistently patient in his decision-making, including when there’s chaos around him. Generally navigated defensive pressure very well. His insensitivity toward pass rush pressures allowed him to calmly keep his eyes downfield to unlock some incredible plays before blitzers wrapped him up.Made every single throw. Was an absolute maestro on back-shoulder fades including to the far sideline.
Threw at all speeds with success — lobbed bombs and fired seeds. His pass velocity is very good.Threw from varying arm angles, often with tremendous accuracy. Just another example of his playmaking ability.Arm strength is good. Multiple examples of passes traveling downfield as far as 48 Air Yards.Accuracy ranges between good and very good (call it “A-minus accuracy”). Naturally at his best when his feet are set. Has thrown a little bit off-target a couple of times per game, often with his receivers adjusting to make the catch.Just as much of an anticipatory thrower as a ‘see-it, throw-it’ striker. Has a knack for throwing before his receivers turn back for the ball, and did it on deeper passes as well as shorter ones.Rarely put the ball in harm’s way and knew when to throw the ball out of bounds or take a sack just to make it to the next play without a turnover. Of his five interceptions in 2022, two were due to bobbled receptions.Understood when and how to use his legs. Consistently great at keeping plays alive with his nimble feet and was selectively willing to run for yardage when opportunities presented themselves. Could run an RPO-based offense like Philadelphia’s in Week 1. Likely capable of running any offense but one with West Coast principles would likely be good for him.Was a team captain and developed into a leader for the Crimson Tide. Admitted he needed to “grow up quickly” at Alabama and believes his off-field development is where he grew the most at Alabama.Comes off as intelligent, humble and focused, and it appears he has been that way since he was in high school.Only reported injury from high school or college was a sprained right (throwing) AC joint in October 2022 (missed one game).Concerns
His lack of height may have contributed to missing open receivers because of taller, massive offensive and defensive linemen blocking his line of sight. Young seems to counter this by dropping back further in the pocket than most quarterbacks, sometimes drifting as far back as five yards post-snap in shotgun. His next offensive playcaller must calculate this as part of his team’s scheme.His lack of size makes him ripe for injury. Last October he separated his shoulder on a clean, typical play when he was tripped up by a defender and landed on his throwing shoulder. His next NFL team must be at peace with his size and consider a plan to add muscle to his frame without impacting his skill-set. Said team should also prioritize its offensive line. Was in shotgun formation for all but five pass attempts in three seasons at Alabama. Needs to master handling the football from under center.Needs to show more urgency in selling the play-fake on handoffs. This is an easy fix at the next level.Footwork was an occasional issue as he would occasionally make all-arm or back-foot throws despite working from a clean, unpressured pocket. Ultimately this led to a few accuracy blips because his feet aren’t set. This is a minor technique that should be considered fixable.Infrequently settled for easy, short throws too soon from clean pockets against basic coverage, wasting opportunities to gain more yards by locating a target further downfield.Didn’t have quite as much downfield power on his throws when he was on the run, but could still push just past 35 Air Yards.His mobility shouldn’t be confused with his desire to run as rushing wasn’t a consistent part of his game — had one career game with over 50 rush yards and five with over 20 rush yards.
Stats breakdown
GCmp%PaYdsYds/AttPaTDPaINTRuAttRuYdsRuAvgRuTD20221264.533288.8325491853.842022 v Top-25660.517358.514224-3-0.11Career3465.883568.880121391621.27Advanced stats to knowFinished top-15 in 2022 among qualifying QBs (at least 250 attempts) in yards per attempt (8.8), TD rate (8.4%), TD-INT ratio (6.4 to 1), and passing efficiency (163.2). Threw to his running backs 18.2% of the time in 2022, 10th-most among all qualifiers.Credited with just a 10% off-target pass rate, seventh-best among qualifying QBs43.3% completion rate on throws of over 15 Air Yards, 46th out of 98 qualifying QBs in 2022.10.0 ADOT, tied for 40th among qualifying QBs749 of his 3,328 yards were on deep throws.71.9% completion rate when NOT pressured (24th among 98 QB w/ 250+ attempts)46.4% completion rate when pressured (42nd among 98 QB w/ 250+ attempts)12 of his 32 touchdowns came on pass plays of 20-plus Air Yards.Four interceptions over 140 career red-zone pass attempts (and two interceptions over 66 attempts inside the 10).48.5% career TD rate on passes thrown inside of 10 yards (24th among 188 QBs over past 5 years)Eliminating kneel-downs and sacks, Young ran for 231 yards on 42 carries (5.5 average) with four touchdowns, all between 4 and 8 yards away from the goal line.NFL ComparisonIt’s easy to compare Young to Russell Wilson since both are on the small side and have the uncanny ability to make improvisational plays. But Young certainly seems better at reading defensive coverages pre- and post-snap and has the better arm overall. That makes him more comparable, when including his size, to Drew Brees.
Source: CBS Sports | Read More
