ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper of course is the main source of information when it comes to all things concerning the draft.
So, when he was asked about Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, of course, you listen. Kiper has said that Young is a No. 1 draft pick, however, he doesn’t think he is the best quarterback in the draft because of one thing: his durability.
Kiper said this about Young on Get Up, according to On3
“Greenie, he has to be an outlier,” he said. “Bottom line. I mean, I talked to a lot of teams they say we love Bryce Young.”
“We wish he was–forget the height. The height doesn’t matter. It’s the 185-190, the weight. Can he withstand punishment at the pro level? We’ve never had this, in the top part of the first round a quarterback what, 5-10 to 5-10, 190lbs. A great quarterback. Phenomenal. He does everything you want,” Kiper continued.
“Now, he doesn’t have the big-time arm. He doesn’t have the 4.5-speed. But Bryce Young would be the, I think, the number one pick overall maybe even to the Chicago Bears, even though they have Justin Fields if he were bigger. Bryce Young’s size is a huge factor working against him.”
Despite Kiper’s concerns, Young has been pretty durable at quarterback for Alabama. He has only been injured once and sat out one game due to a sore shoulder last season, yet he still was named to the second-team All-SEC this past year. He also was free of injuries during his Heisman year back in 2021 and lead his team to an SEC title.
[On3]