Frankenstein Experiment Of Best QB Parts May Soon Get New Bryce Young Addition
KANSAS CITY -- The hardest assignment Bryce Young says he got when he met with teams in the leadup to this draft came when one asked him to build a Frankenstein quarterback using parts from the greatest players at the position.
"I can't give you the answer because it was really long-winded, but it was like build a Frankenstein of quarterbacks that you feel like is the best of everything," Young said Wednesday. "That was something that was kind of different that I hadn't heard before. It was unique and it was interesting.
"They had me thinking of all-time quarterbacks so it was a bunch of stuff from there. I had a bunch of all time guys."
Bryce Young of the Alabama Crimson Tide looks to pass in the fourth quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 10, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
Bryce Young Cool As Stuart Scott's Pillow
Bryce Young picked the best arm. The best mobility. The best accuracy. And he wasn't choosing any part of himself.
But maybe he soon will be able to.
Because one thing NFL teams already are certain about Young is he's calm to the extent of being unflappable. If the great Stuart Scott were still alive, he'd put a picture of Young on the other side of his proverbial pillow.
Because Bryce Young is so cool.
"The guy never seems stressed when he's in the pocket," Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said at the NFL Combine. " And then you meet him in person and he's just like, chill."
Living up to that reputation, Young fielded a rapid-fire set of questions from reporters Wednesday afternoon and never flinched. He was composed. Even relaxed.
Frankenstein's unruffled temperament was on display.
Bryce Young handled one of a multitude of interviews on Wednesday (Photo by Armando Salguero)
NFL Draft Hasn't Moved Young
While C.J. Stroud complained the draft process made him a little uncomfortable by taking him out of his routine, Young talked about enjoying the process regardless of its stress.
"I don't feel like this has been any pressure at all," Young said. "I feel like I do everything I can to paint myself in the best light when I'm talking to teams, and present myself and be honest about everything.
"But I haven't had to play a snap of football. I haven't had to do anything. It's been all about training and getting better ... Where I get picked, what happens, that's out of my control. So this isn't any sort of pressure stakes for me. It's out of my hands so I have peace with that."
The fact is the only issue any team can raise against Young is his size. He's 5-foot-10.
Years ago that would have been a problem. But now the chorus of Young being too small has been unusually mute.
Bryce Young #9 of the Alabama Crimson Tide rolls out looking for a receiver in the first half and is pressured by Drew Sanders #42 of the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on October 01, 2022 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Size May Not Matter For Bryce Young
"I do know this, when I was a kid, those quarterbacks walked through the door, you knew they came through the door," NFL Network analyst Charles Davis said. "They were mastodons, man. Because back then, if I put a helmet in your back, that wasn't a penalty. I clubbed you upside your head with a forearm, that wasn't a penalty.
"But the rules being what they are now, and how we play the game, I don't think he's too small."
So expect Young to be the No. 1 overall selection -- even if he's not certain where he's going.
"I just want to be in a place where people compete," he said. "I'm a competitor. I want to be around a coaching staff and a team that wants to compete, wants to win. And, you know, I'm super excited for this next challenge."
Wait. Excited? Like really emotional about it?
"I'm excited," Young said. "But not too much."