Colts 2023 NFL draft profile: QB Bryce Young

It’s no secret that the Indianapolis Colts are looking for a new franchise quarterback, and the expectation is that the team will use the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft to complete that search.

With many different opinions on this year’s prospects, we still have no inclination of who will be available when Indy is on the clock on the final Thursday in April.

We’ll be tracking the Colts’ reported interest in the 2023 draft class so be sure to keep up with latest updates via our tracker.

Let’s get to know Alabama’s Bryce Young and what he can bring to the Circle City:

Background

Bryce Christopher Young was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 25, 2001. His father’s name is Craig and his mother’s name is Julie. He spent most of his adolescence life in Pasadena, California.

High School

Young started off at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles for his freshman and sophomore year before transferring to Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA for his junior and senior year. He was able to make himself one of the top recruits in his class with his play on the field and earning honors off of it. Young was named LA Times Player of the Year his senior season and was named California’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year. 

He was also named the All-American Bowl Player of the Year, the High School Quarterback of the Year by the National Quarterback Club, the Maxwell Offensive Player of the Year, and shared the MaxPreps Player of the Year with D.J. Uiagalelei.  

He threw for 4,528 yards and 58 touchdowns in his final season as a high schooler. In total, he passed for 13,520 yards and 152 touchdowns in his four years. He also ran the ball for a total of 1,084 yards and 26 touchdowns. Young was a five-star recruit, he was rated as the best quarterback prospect in his class and was the number two overall recruit of the 2020 class. 

He was originally committed to USC in 2018 before de-commiting in 2019 and ended up making his decision to play for Nick Saban. Coming out of high school, according to 247Sports, Young was 5’11” and 183 pounds entering Alabama.

College

Young spent his freshman year as the backup to Mac Jones. With how great Alabama was that season, he was able to appear in nine games. He threw for 156 yards and a touchdown in his limited action. 

He took over as the starting quarterback his sophomore season starting in 15 games. It was a historic season for Young with him throwing for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. His passing yards and touchdowns are the most in a single season in their school’s history. He broke Alabama’s school record for passing yards in a game against Arkansas with 559 yards. 

He also had three rushing touchdowns to give him a total of 50 for the year. Young ended up being the first quarterback in the university’s history to win the Heisman Trophy. In his final college season, Young appeared in 12 games throwing for 3,328 yards, 32 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns. He has the most five-touchdown games (5) in Alabama’s record book. 

Outside of the Heisman Trophy, Young won the following awards and earned honors during his college career:

• Sugar Bowl MVP (2022)

• Manning Award Finalist (2022)

• 2nd Team All-American by PFF and USAT (2022)

• 2nd Team All-SEC by AP (2022)

• Maxwell Award (2021)

• Davey O’Brien Award (2021)

• Manning Award (2021)

• College Football Player of the Year by AP and SN (2021)

• 1st Team All-American by AP, FWAA, PFF, USAT, ESPN, CBS Sports, and TSN (2021)

• 2nd Team All-American by AFCA and Walter Camp (2021)

• SEC Offensive Player of the Year (2021)

• 1st Team All-SEC (2021)

Injury History

Sprained AC joint (2022) – One game missed

Young on his recovery:

NFL Combine

Measurements

Height: 5’10 1/8″

Weight: 204 

Arm Length: 30 1/2″

Hand Size: 9 3/4″

Young responded about his measurements at the combine stating: “I’ve been this size, respectfully, my whole life, I know who I am, I know what I can do. For me, it’s fair, everyone can speculate, ask me every question. I’m going to continue to control what I can control, continue to keep working my hardest. … I’m confident in myself. I know what I can do.” 

Young elected not to throw or test at the combine.

Random Nuggets

Young had his own podcast called “The Bryce Young Podcast” as part of a NIL deal and has stated that he would like to work in sports media when he is done playing football. 

His first sports love is actually basketball. There are some who believed he could’ve eventually been a point guard at the D1 level. Alabama.com did a cover on what if Young played basketball.

Pro Day

After not throwing at the combine, Young put on a show for NFL teams at his Pro Day:

Nick Saban on Young’s approach to football:

Scouting Report

Young plays the position with tons of poise. He hardly looks fazed when he is dealing with the pass rush. He’s great at manipulating the pocket and is outstanding at avoiding a free rusher. He stays calm in the moment which allows him to use his sudden shiftiness to shake off the defender so he can extend the play. 

As a passer, Young does a solid job at putting the ball in a place where the defender can’t make a play on the ball. He leads his receiver so they can pick up yards after the catch. It helped lead to explosive plays for the Alabama offense. He’s a good communicator with his receivers, when he is extending a play due to great coverage, he will work with his man to get on the same page so they can connect in an open hole in the defense. 

He will reset his feet when he’s on the run but he will occasionally have a ball fall short because he wasn’t able to step all the way into his pass attempt. Young doesn’t look to force the issue and will either throw the ball away or take the sack if the defender is closing down on him. 

While the concerns over his weight are valid, he showed on the tape not only avoiding the rush but also even shook off SEC defenders that got their hands on him so he can keep the play alive. One thing that is to like about him is that he’s not afraid to take a shot so he can deliver the throw but he also understands when he’s on the run to go down to avoid the big hit. 

He’s excelled at every level that he’s played in and that should continue at the next level as long as the durability concerns due to his size stay away throughout his career. In Year 1, he is capable of being a Week 1 starter for his team and if he lands with a team that has skill position players in place then the offense should be competitive. 

By Year 3, Young has the talent to develop into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He should reach Pro Bowl honors by then and if the team is built around him to suit his skill set then he’s capable of putting together All-Pro seasons.

Shane Steichen’s valued QB traits

Steichen mentioned earlier this offseason about the traits he looks for in young quarterbacks. “I think accuracy, decision-making, and the ability to create are the three things that I look at in a quarterback,” Steichen said. “I think those all three things are very important but obviously, above the neck, the players that I’ve been around – Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, and Philip Rivers, they all have one thing in common. They’re obsessed with their craft. If you can find that in a quarterback, you’ll probably have some success.”

Accuracy: Young fits this trait for Steichen. As I mentioned in my scouting report, he has great ball placement and should’ve had a higher completion percentage (65.8%) if it wasn’t for the drops he dealt with during his time at Alabama. Per PFF, Alabama had a total of 48 drops in Young’s two seasons as the starter. 

Decision Making: Another checkmark in Steichen’s valued traits for Young. While he’s not afraid to take a risk, Young does a solid job at protecting the ball and putting his offense in position to get first downs and puts points on the scoreboard. 

Ability to Create: This is a trait that Young is amazing at. He can extend plays with his mobility and has the quickness in open space to pick up first downs. His work with his receivers to get them open is what can make an offense explosive on Sundays. 

Outside of Young’s size concerns, based on what Steichen is looking for in a young quarterback, he fits the bill.

Story originally appeared on Colts Wire