The NFL Draft is in the books, with Alabama quarterback Bryce Young the top pick. Just a month ago, many thought Carolina would be selecting C.J. Stroud, but apparently the Panthers knew who they wanted all along.
Head Coach Frank Reich says Young will open camp as the No. 2 quarterback (behind veteran journeyman Andy Dalton), but that probably won't remain the case. By Week 1, Young will likely be in the starting lineup. If he's able to hit it big, perhaps everyone will stop fretting about how small he is.
At the combine, Young measured in at 5-foot-10 and 204 pounds. At Alabama, he was listed at 6-0 (clearly inaccurate, he probably hasn't gotten shorter in the past year) and 194 pounds, which is more likely close to what his playing weight will be. (I saw a story last month where a scout said even 194 pounds was probably well above what he actually weighed.) But we'll go with the combine numbers, which still makes him the smallest quarterback -- both height and weight -- selected in the first round this century.
Table shows final year of college numbers for all the first-round quarterback selections since 2000, with height and weight for each player listed. Sorted by weight. The three quarterbacks drafted in the first round this year are included, in bold.
| FIRST-ROUND QUARTERBACKS, 2000-PRESENT | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pk | Player | School | Pass | TD | Run | TD | Ht | Wt |
| 2007 | 1 | JaMarcus Russell | Louisiana State | 3129 | 28 | 142 | 1 | 6.05 | 265 |
| 2011 | 1 | Cam Newton | Auburn | 2854 | 30 | 1473 | 20 | 6.05 | 248 |
| 2009 | 17 | Josh Freeman | Kansas State | 2945 | 20 | 404 | 14 | 6.06 | 248 |
| 2023 | 4 | Anthony Richardson | Florida | 2549 | 17 | 654 | 9 | 6.04 | 244 |
| 2016 | 26 | Paxton Lynch | Memphis | 3776 | 28 | 239 | 2 | 6.07 | 244 |
| 2004 | 11 | Ben Roethlisberger | Miami (Ohio) | 4486 | 37 | 111 | 3 | 6.05 | 241 |
| 2003 | 7 | Byron Leftwich | Marshall | 4268 | 30 | -1 | 3 | 6.05 | 241 |
| 2018 | 7 | Josh Allen | Wyoming | 1812 | 16 | 204 | 5 | 6.05 | 237 |
| 2016 | 2 | Carson Wentz | North Dakota State | 1651 | 17 | 294 | 6 | 6.05 | 237 |
| 2013 | 16 | EJ Manuel | Florida State | 3397 | 23 | 310 | 4 | 6.05 | 237 |
| 2020 | 6 | Justin Herbert | Oregon | 3471 | 32 | 50 | 4 | 6.06 | 236 |
| 2010 | 1 | Sam Bradford | Oklahoma | 562 | 2 | -18 | 0 | 6.04 | 236 |
| 2010 | 25 | Tim Tebow | Florida | 2895 | 21 | 910 | 14 | 6.03 | 236 |
| 2008 | 18 | Joe Flacco | Delaware | 4263 | 23 | 22 | 4 | 6.06 | 236 |
| 2012 | 1 | Andrew Luck | Stanford | 3517 | 37 | 150 | 2 | 6.04 | 234 |
| 2011 | 10 | Blaine Gabbert | Missouri | 3186 | 16 | 232 | 5 | 6.04 | 234 |
| 2003 | 19 | Kyle Boller | California | 2815 | 28 | -83 | 3 | 6.03 | 234 |
| 2014 | 3 | Blake Bortles | Central Florida | 3581 | 25 | 272 | 6 | 6.05 | 232 |
| 2007 | 22 | Brady Quinn | Notre Dame | 3426 | 37 | 71 | 2 | 6.04 | 232 |
| 2003 | 1 | Carson Palmer | Southern California | 3942 | 33 | -122 | 4 | 6.05 | 232 |
| 2019 | 15 | Dwayne Haskins | Ohio State | 4831 | 50 | 108 | 4 | 6.03 | 231 |
| 2015 | 1 | Jameis Winston | Florida State | 3907 | 25 | 65 | 3 | 6.04 | 231 |
| 2011 | 8 | Jake Locker | Washington | 2265 | 17 | 385 | 6 | 6.02 | 231 |
| 2005 | 25 | Jason Campbell | Auburn | 2700 | 20 | 30 | 3 | 6.05 | 230 |
| 2011 | 12 | Christian Ponder | Florida State | 2044 | 20 | 180 | 4 | 6.02 | 229 |
| 2006 | 3 | Vince Young | Texas | 3036 | 26 | 1050 | 12 | 6.05 | 229 |
| 2004 | 4 | Philip Rivers | North Carolina State | 4491 | 34 | 109 | 3 | 6.05 | 229 |
| 2000 | 18 | Chad Pennington | Marshall | 4006 | 38 | 93 | 2 | 6.03 | 229 |
| 2021 | 10 | Justin Fields | Ohio State | 2100 | 22 | 383 | 5 | 6.03 | 228 |
| 2008 | 3 | Matt Ryan | Boston College | 4507 | 31 | 2 | 2 | 6.05 | 228 |
| 2009 | 5 | Mark Sanchez | Southern California | 3207 | 34 | 16 | 3 | 6.02 | 227 |
| 2021 | 3 | Trey Lance | North Dakota State | 2786 | 28 | 1100 | 14 | 6.04 | 226 |
| 2018 | 10 | Josh Rosen | UCLA | 3756 | 26 | -97 | 2 | 6.04 | 226 |
| 2006 | 11 | Jay Cutler | Vanderbilt | 3073 | 21 | 215 | 1 | 6.03 | 226 |
| 2017 | 10 | Patrick Mahomes | Texas Tech | 5052 | 41 | 285 | 12 | 6.02 | 225 |
| 2009 | 1 | Matthew Stafford | Georgia | 3459 | 25 | 40 | 1 | 6.02 | 225 |
| 2020 | 26 | Jordan Love | Utah State | 3402 | 20 | 175 | 0 | 6.04 | 224 |
| 2004 | 22 | J.P. Losman | Tulane | 3077 | 33 | 80 | 2 | 6.02 | 224 |
| 2012 | 2 | Robert Griffin III | Baylor | 4293 | 37 | 699 | 10 | 6.02 | 223 |
| 2006 | 10 | Matt Leinart | Southern California | 3815 | 28 | 36 | 6 | 6.05 | 223 |
| 2005 | 24 | Aaron Rodgers | California | 2566 | 24 | 126 | 3 | 6.02 | 223 |
| 2002 | 1 | David Carr | Fresno State | 4299 | 42 | 97 | 5 | 6.03 | 223 |
| 2017 | 2 | Mitchell Trubisky | North Carolina | 3748 | 30 | 308 | 5 | 6.02 | 222 |
| 2015 | 2 | Marcus Mariota | Oregon | 4454 | 42 | 770 | 15 | 6.04 | 222 |
| 2020 | 1 | Joe Burrow | Louisiana State | 5671 | 60 | 368 | 5 | 6.03 | 221 |
| 2019 | 6 | Daniel Jones | Duke | 2674 | 22 | 325 | 3 | 6.05 | 221 |
| 2018 | 3 | Sam Darnold | Southern California | 4143 | 26 | 82 | 5 | 6.03 | 221 |
| 2017 | 12 | Deshaun Watson | Clemson | 4593 | 41 | 629 | 9 | 6.02 | 221 |
| 2012 | 8 | Ryan Tannehill | Texas A&M | 3744 | 29 | 306 | 4 | 6.04 | 221 |
| 2012 | 22 | Brandon Weeden | Oklahoma State | 4727 | 37 | -102 | 1 | 6.03 | 221 |
| 2004 | 1 | Eli Manning | Mississippi | 3600 | 29 | -28 | 3 | 6.05 | 221 |
| 2002 | 32 | Patrick Ramsey | Tulane | 2935 | 22 | -115 | 1 | 6.02 | 219 |
| 2022 | 20 | Kenny Pickett | Pittsburgh | 4319 | 42 | 233 | 5 | 6.03 | 217 |
| 2021 | 15 | Mac Jones | Alabama | 4500 | 41 | 14 | 1 | 6.03 | 217 |
| 2020 | 5 | Tua Tagovailoa | Alabama | 2840 | 33 | 17 | 2 | 6.00 | 217 |
| 2005 | 1 | Alex Smith | Utah | 2952 | 32 | 631 | 10 | 6.04 | 217 |
| 2003 | 22 | Rex Grossman | Florida | 3402 | 22 | -65 | 1 | 6.01 | 217 |
| 2018 | 32 | Lamar Jackson | Louisville | 3660 | 27 | 1601 | 18 | 6.02 | 216 |
| 2018 | 1 | Baker Mayfield | Oklahoma | 4627 | 43 | 311 | 5 | 6.01 | 215 |
| 2016 | 1 | Jared Goff | California | 4719 | 43 | -8 | 0 | 6.04 | 215 |
| 2002 | 3 | Joey Harrington | Oregon | 2415 | 23 | 56 | 7 | 6.04 | 215 |
| 2023 | 2 | C.J. Stroud | Ohio State | 3688 | 41 | 108 | 0 | 6.03 | 214 |
| 2021 | 2 | Zach Wilson | Brigham Young | 3692 | 33 | 254 | 10 | 6.02 | 214 |
| 2014 | 32 | Teddy Bridgewater | Louisville | 3970 | 31 | 78 | 1 | 6.02 | 214 |
| 2021 | 1 | Trevor Lawrence | Clemson | 3153 | 24 | 203 | 8 | 6.06 | 213 |
| 2001 | 1 | Michael Vick | Virginia Tech | 1234 | 8 | 617 | 8 | 6.00 | 210 |
| 2019 | 1 | Kyler Murray | Oklahoma | 4361 | 42 | 1001 | 12 | 5.10 | 207 |
| 2014 | 22 | Johnny Manziel | Texas A&M | 4114 | 37 | 759 | 9 | 6.00 | 207 |
| 2023 | 1 | Bryce Young | Alabama | 3328 | 32 | 185 | 4 | 5.10 | 204 |
Kyler Murray also measured in at 5-foot-10, and he's generally been a success thus far. Coming to a team that picked first overall the year he was drafted and is still sorting out the rest of the roster and head coaching situation, he's been to two Pro Bowls and had 8-8 and 9-5 seasons in years 2 and 3. Last year he was hurt for six games and the team went 4-13, but I think Murray has shown he can play in the NFL. Murray's listed weight of 207 looks a little more legit than Young's 204, but they're in the same ballpark.
Note that the two most successful quarterbacks in that size range, Murray and Michael Vick, are different kinds of quarterbacks -- they ran a lot in college, and also in the pros. Lots of the smaller quarterbacks did. Young is athletic but running isn't a big part of his game. He didn't run at all in 2021, and not much (15 yards per game) last year.
Looking at the table, you can argue that quarterbacks being really big (like Florida's Anthony Richardson) isn't a great thing either. Several flops at that size, most notably JaMarcus Russell but also Josh Freeman and Paxton Lynch (although those latter guys were late first-rounders). But Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Allen have been fine.
Over the last couple of months, I've come around on Young. He's not a runner like Murray or a young Russell Wilson, but he'll move around in the pocket and scan the field quickly, figuring out where to go with the ball and delivering accurate throws when he does. I see a Drew Brees type player, who lacks the physical attributes of other quarterbacks but has all the other qualities that actually enable these guys to succeed. He's not towering over his blockers like Anthony Richardson, but neither did the 6-foot-tall Brees.
One thing you don't hear quite as much lately is how much of an advantage Alabama quarterbacks had because of the talent around them. Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa (pre-concussion issues) kind of took some of the wind out of those sails last season. The level those guys played at for much of last season, seems just as accurate to say that their college background helped make them more ready to face NFL opposition.
Immediate success seems less likely. Carolina's receiving group is poor and its line needs help (last year's top pick Ikem Ekwonu is one building block, at least). Moving up for Young cost the team a lot of picks and its best wide receiver. But if Young's as good as most expect, at least that problem will be taken care of. Building the other things around him will be the tough part.
--Andy Richardson