The biggest negative — maybe the only negative — on quarterback Bryce Young heading into the NFL Draft was his size.
Although incredibly talented, the 5-foot-10 Young doesn’t have the prototypical size seen in other NFL quarterbacks, who usually measure several inches taller.
Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer told Pro Football Talk the team studied that issue at great length before selecting Young with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
“I think it’s something I’ve learned from [G.M.] John Schneider in Seattle,” Fitterer said, regarding Young’s height. “What are the compensating factors? John went through that when he was looking at Russell [Wilson]. The one thing you said, ‘How’s his height going to affect him?’ Everyone was talking about, ‘He’s five-ten’. OK, what are the limitations here?”
After reviewing game film, the Panthers found that, unlike many other shorter quarterbacks, Young is adept at finding throwing lanes. In fact, they found he has a lower percentage of batted balls than taller QBs.
“One thing about Bryce is he can see over the middle of the field,” Fitterer said. “We did the heat map with him where a lot of his completions were right over the middle of the field. Guys who are six-three, six-four, getting balls batted down, throwing over the middle, lower completion rate. The one thing about Bryce, he had a really high completion rate. He only had two batted balls and then you’re like, ‘OK, this guy understands how to slide in the pocket, how to find the windows and the throwing lanes.’
“There’s a real art to that and he makes it look so easy. … They’re very subtle movements. He’s finding that lane, he’s throwing the ball. We didn’t think the height would be a factor with him. It was something we definitely studied, and you have to study it because it’s a real thing, but he does have those compensating factors.”
Fitterer told PFT the Panthers also discussed Young’s weight, which is just shy of 200 pounds. The Panthers GM says Young will add bulk as he continues to mature and benefits from an NFL training program.
“We do think as his body matures, he will add mass,” Fitterer said. “We will get him on a strength program that will bulk him up. I think the rules now in the NFL where you can’t land on quarterbacks with the body weight, that plays into it.”
