Mel Kiper weighs in on height, weight impacting NFL Draft stock debate with Bryce Young

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper explained that NFL teams love Bryce Young, except for his size. It’s not his height, but his weight and therefore his ability to withstand a beating that concerns teams.

Mel Kiper explained why during an appearance on Get Up.

“Greenie, he has to be an outlier,” Mel Kiper said. “Bottom line. I mean, I talked to a lot of teams they say we love Bryce Young.”

At this point, Kiper explained that the issue with Young has nothing to do with on-field play or skillset. Those are great. However, his weight and frame are working against him as teams don’t want to draft a quarterback liable to get injured.

“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,” Mel 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.”

Bryce Young won the Heisman Trophy in 2021 and has been compared to Tua Tagovailoa. Meanwhile, Todd McShay says he’s the next generation of NFL quarterback.

CBS Sports analyst isn’t worried about Bryce Young’s size

One person who disagrees with Mel Kiper and isn’t worried about Bryce Young’s size is CBS Sports analyst Josh Edwards.

“I understand the concerns about his size. I mean it’s unprecedented to have a quarterback of that size, that stature in the NFL. But the game is a little bit different. You can have a point guard at the quarterback position distributing the football and really utilizing the targets you’re able to build on that side of the ball. So I have less of a problem with his size today than maybe a decade ago,” Edwards said.

“I understand it’s not going to be ‘one size fits all’ where he’s going to be a fit for everyone. Some may prefer CJ Stroud, some may prefer Will Levis. I totally understand it. But Bryce Young? With what he brings to the table as far as his intangibles, his impromptu playmaking ability, the leadership? With all of that stuff, he’s my top quarterback prospect.”