Todd McShay says Bryce Young is ‘working on’ building NFL frame

One of the biggest critiques of former Alabama star Bryce Young ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft is his size. The 5-foot-11, 197-pound quarterback is widely projected to be a top pick in April’s draft, but questions have risen about how his body will hold up in the NFL.

ESPN analyst Todd McShay made it clear he’s trying to change that, though.

“He’s working on it,” McShay said. “I’ve talked to him. The trainers, the nutrition that he’s working on. He wants to get up to 210 to have that frame that’s going to hold up.”

However, McShay argued Young has proven his ability to sustain big hits while playing in the SEC over the last two seasons. He took some big hits in the backfield for Alabama as the Crimson Tide allowed 22 sacks per game in 2022, one year after ranking second-to-last in the league with 41 sacks allowed in 2021.

It’s also worth noting he suffered a shoulder injury against Arkansas this past season. Despite that, McShay argued Young’s body held up well considering the circumstances.

“Don’t forget this, he took a punishment in the SEC,” McShay said. “If you really go back and study his tape, there’s no quarterback in the country in my opinion that took a bigger punishment than he did. Yeah, he had a little shoulder injury for, what, two weeks? But other than that, he hung in there. That’s why, to me, he’s the No. 1 quarterback in this class because he has that toughness in addition to the ability to create.

“… With CJ [Stroud], it was great to see in that one game. But I saw that poise and creativity and the ability to work off platform in every single game for Bryce Young. That’s why he’s my guy. And if I’m the Colts, just to go back to it, if I’m Chris Ballard, the GM, I’m going up to No. 1 and I’m going to get him because I have had enough.”

Mel Kiper: Bryce Young could benefit from playing in a dome

When determining which team would be a fit for Young — whether it be the Colts at No. 4, where ESPN analyst Mel Kiper has him going in his first mock draft — or another quarterback-needy team, the home conditions could be a factor. Kiper said an indoor stadium would be an ideal fit for him, which is why he looked to the AFC South as a potential destination.

That’s part of his rationale for putting Young to Indianapolis at No. 4 as the second quarterback off the board if he doesn’t go to the Houston Texans.

“You’ve got Bryce Young, without the incredible arm strength. He doesn’t have the tremendous speed. … So in that dome, that lack of great arm strength, it’s not going to be a big factor. You’ve got perfect conditions,” Kiper said. “The division allows that. For me, when you look at that division overall, with Tennessee’s question mark at quarterback, you’ve got Houston’s going to be looking at a quarterback, certainly Indy will. Jacksonville has their franchise guy in Trevor and there’s no question the Colts are going that route.

“Which one of the three? I don’t know. My guy’s Levis. Todd’s guy’s Young. I’ve heard Stroud, I’ve heard from a lot of people in the league. These three guys, it’s a three-horse race. That’s what it boils down to. It’s a three-horse race until the end of April. Right now, Todd, I can safely say I don’t know. … If Bryce Young were — and I don’t care about the height. If he had the frame to be 205-215, he doesn’t have that frame. Can he … hold up physically?”