The Houston Texans appear to be on a collision course to take Bryce Young No. 2 overall in the 2023 NFL draft.
The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner had a prolific career at Alabama with 80 touchdowns and 12 interceptions through 34 career games. Perhaps the 2022 campaign, although not getting anywhere near a national championship, was his most impressive as he completed 245 passes on 380 attempts for 3,328 yards, 32 touchdowns, and five interceptions while working with a limited supporting cast.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said on a Feb. 24 conference call that he considers Young to be the best quarterback on his board.
“In terms of the ability, it’s all there,” Jeremiah said. “I mean, every type of throw you want to make. He can drive it. He can layer the ball. He can make plays on schedule, off schedule. The talent is exceptional.”
One of the issues that surrounds Young is the most common for any college quarterback: how does the production translate to the pro level?
However, that is not the greatest risk that a team would be assessing when it came to Young. It would be the former Crimson Tide signal caller’s endurance. At 6-0, 194 pounds, there are concerns Young would not be able to hold up to the pounding NFL quarterbacks take. The concern is especially underscored by how the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, who is of comparable size at 5-10, 207 pounds, has missed nine games and played hurt for the past two seasons.
“With Bryce the gamble is just the durability,” said Jeremiah. “Is he going to be able to physically hold up? That’s the gamble I would take when you stack all these guys up.”
If the Texans do take the gamble with Young, it may be prudent to have a strong enough quarterback room to absorb the impact should he miss any time. New coach DeMeco Ryans spent his years with the San Francisco 49ers from 2017-22 and had a wide range of experiences of what can happen when a team does or doesn’t have an adequate backup quarterback in place.
