Football

Bryce Young 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Chris McGlynn Draft, Football, NCAAF, Scouting Reports , , , ,

Name: Bryce Young
Position: Quarterback
School: Alabama
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 196 lbs
Games watched: vs. Arkansas (2022), vs. LSU (2022), vs. Texas (2022), vs. Texas A&M (2021), vs. Auburn (2022); vs. Cincinnati (2021)

We are on the verge of months of discussion about Bryce Young. The Alabama quarterback has been the talk of college football since he took over as the starter in Tuscaloosa. He missed just one game due to a throwing shoulder injury in two years, showcasing his durability and he dominated when he was on the field. He won the Heisman in his first season as the starter, leading the Tide to an SEC Title and the National Championship Game. While he came up short, he turned heads across the country with his incredible play.

His 2022 season was not nearly as prolific, but neither was his supporting cast. The departure of Brian Robinson Jr., John Metchie III, Jameson Williams and Evan Neal left some major holes for the Tide to fill. Young did his best to carry the offense, but his 3,382 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns and 64.5 percent completion percentage were all down from a year ago. However, it would have been difficult for anyone to match the 4,872 passing yards, 47 touchdowns and 66.9 percent completion percentage he posted in 2021. In short, Young has been both productive and prolific, and it has scouts talking about him being the No. 1 pick in this draft class.

Pros

Young is a gamer. He seems relatively unfazed by the moment no matter what stage he is on. He displays incredibly toughness to absorb hits and keep on balling. His accuracy is impressive, especially down the field. I wish we could have seen him stretch the field vertically more actually, because he really excels in that department. His release is quick and clean. His throwing mechanics and footwork are well coached and consistent. Young’s arm is not the strongest in this class, but he has some impressive zip on intermediate throws into tight spaces. He has more than enough strength to reach just about any spot on the field, including deep outs from the opposite hash and deep overs down the field. As if that wasn’t enough, Young is a dynamic athlete. He won’t outrun everyone on the field, but he is quick and slippery, finding ways to make defenders look foolish in open space on many occasions. With that ability to escape the pocket, he shows a great tendency to keep his eyes downfield while scrambling.

Cons

The biggest knock on Young will be his size. He is a bit short as far as prototypical quarterbacks go, but beyond that, he has a very slight frame. He was up to 196 pounds this season. According to Mockdraftable.com, there have been 424 quarterbacks to weigh in during the pre-draft process dating back to 1999. The average weight of those players was 221 pounds. Bryce Young would be tied for the 3rd-lightest player at 196 pounds, falling into the 1st percentile. That is going to be a major red flag for a lot of teams. Let’s look beyond the size concerns. Young really drives on the ball when he releases it. As a result, he sometimes gets the nose of the ball trending downward, throwing balls at his receivers feet or leaving them short of the mark. His pocket awareness is great, but his internal clock still needs some work. There is room to improve at identifying the blitz and sliding protection to account for additional rushers. There are too many times where Young refuses to give up on a play, which sometimes gets him into trouble. He tries to be Superman rather than throwing the ball away and playing for the next down. His ball placement is inconsistent at times, especially on timing routes. He is also guilty of throwing the ball high over the middle when he has pressure in his face. Most of these are coachable tendencies, but will take a bit of time to eliminate from his game.

Synopsis

Young is a proven winner with a great track record of making big plays in big moments. His combination of arm strength, athleticism and accuracy makes him one of the most pro-ready prospects in this class. He put together one of the best seasons in recent memory when he had a better supporting cast around him in 2021 and still looked strong in 2022. Obviously, his size will be picked apart. If he was 6’3″, 225 pounds with the same skill set, we would be talking about him similar to how we discussed Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow when they were coming out of school. There are going to be limitations to what he can do given his stature, but he has more than enough skill and talent to be a difference maker at quarterback at the next level. His toughness and willingness to take on contact show a fearlessness that is rare.

Ideal scheme fit: Play action or RPO-heavy vertical passing offense

Grade: 89.5

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Paris Johnson Jr. 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Chris McGlynn Draft, Football, NCAAF, Scouting Reports , , , ,

Name: Paris Johnson Jr.
Position: Offensive Tackle
School: Ohio State
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 310 lbs
Games watched: vs. Iowa (2022), vs. Michigan State (2022), vs. Notre Dame (2022), vs. Rutgers (2021), vs. Wisconsin (2022), vs. Michigan (2022)

Ohio State is probably best known for the linemen they produce on the defensive side of the ball. That being said, no one is making the mistake of overlooking Paris Johnson Jr. The redshirt sophomore brings the ideal size of NFL tackle and plays with a fun blend of speed and power. After spending the 2021 season at right guard, Johnson moved to left tackle. Like any player learning a new position, it took him a bit of time to learn the nuances. There are some shaky moments, especially in pass protection early in the season that largely disappeared by the time he faced Michigan.

For his efforts, Johnson was named 1st-team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media as well as AP 2nd-team All-American. He now enters the pre-draft process with a real chance to be the top tackle taken. He will not be eligible for any of the All-Star games, like the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl, but he will almost certainly be looking to wow scouts and coaches at the combine.

Pros

Let’s start with the biggest strength in Johnson’s game. He is an elite run blocker. Ohio State played a zone heavy scheme, but mixed in some true power runs as well. Johnson excelled on kickout blocks to set the edge and has great range for a player his size. He has no issue reaching an interior defensive lineman as the backside blocker and was routinely used as a pulling player in the run game. With that athleticism, he does well reaching the second level to wall off linebackers and safeties. Johnson also has good fluidity to his movement and improved both his footwork and hand technique as the season went on in the passing game. He rarely gave up pressure and did a nice job keeping his hands inside on opposing rushers to avoid holding penalties. On top of that, his balance is incredible, allowing him to recover nicely if he makes a mistake.

Cons

While Johnson definitely improved as a pass blocker throughout the season, there is still room for growth. He is susceptible to inside moves by pass rushers, particularly swim and spin moves. He sometimes rocks into his stance on passing sets, leaving him on his heels. His pad level is inconsistent as well and he is guilty of dropping his head on occasion in the running game, which leads to him whiffing on some blocks. His power is solid, but there are definitely moments where you can see he can still strengthen his base.

Synopsis

Johnson has the chops to be a Day 1 starter at either tackle spot. His athleticism and size would be enough to tempt any scout, but his improvements over the course of the season at tackle point towards a player who is still improving. That is impressive given how high of a level he is already capable of playing at. He may need some help early on in pass protection, but with more experience and coaching, he should turn into a capable blindside protector. Worst-case scenario for Johnson would be struggling at tackle and being kicked inside to guard, where he has the agility and experience to be a real asset. Johnson feels like a high-floor, high-ceiling prospect.

Ideal scheme fit: Zone run or RPO-heavy offense

Grade: 90

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Draft Season Never Ends: What should the Chicago Bears do with the No. 1 pick?

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No one expected the Bears to end up with the No. 1 pick, but suddenly Chicago holds the keys to the NFL draft. What should Ryan Poles do with the top selection: build around Justin Fields, trade it away or look to restart at quarterback?

You can find every episode on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. As always, I appreciate reviews, feedback and when you hit that subscribe button.

Anthony Richardson 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

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Name: Anthony Richardson
Position: Quarterback
School: Florida
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 232 lbs
Games watched: vs. Utah (2022), vs. Tennessee (2022), vs. Kentucky (2022), vs. LSU (2022), vs. Georgia (2021), Georgia (2022)

It has been a rollercoaster type season for Anthony Richardson. He opened the season with a performance that had people talking about winning a Heisman. He did not quite live up to the hype the rest of the way, as Florida limped to a 6-7 finish that included a loss to Vanderbilt.

Despite the up and down season, Richardson still did plenty to grab the attention of NFL scouts. He threw for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and 9 interceptions while completing 53.8 percent of his passes. He added 654 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground. Those numbers don’t jump out as a clear first-round pick, but with the number of teams that need an upgrade at quarterback, Richardson will be highly sought after.

Pros

With the NFL moving more and more towards mobile quarterbacks, Richardson seems to fit the mold of the modern NFL. He can make plays with both his arm and his legs. His ability in the open field is special. He also has the arm strength to hit every spot on the field with ease. He has some room to grow in his pocket presence, but he has strong moments of stepping up in the pocket when he has the opportunity to. His pre-snap work is pretty strong. Florida ran a lot of pre-snap motion. Richardson also does a nice job of keeping his eyes downfield on the move and working from high to low in his reads. He did not do it a ton, but there are instances on his film where he freezes the safety with his eyes before throwing to his intended target. When he is in a rhythm, he does well anticipating outbreaking routes and hitting his receivers in stride.

Cons

Richardson’s biggest drawback is his accuracy, or lack thereof. His poor completion percentage underlines his inability to hit his receivers consistently. He has a tendency to miss high and long, which is always incredibly dangerous for a quarterback. His mechanics and footwork need a bit of refining. While pre-snap work is a strength, post-snap work is a bit of a weakness. He is slow working through his progression and is guilty of locking in on his first read. In addition to that, his film shows moments where he misses windows on timing routes because he waits for the receiver to get open. I would love to see him develop a bit more touch, especially on underneath routes. With that, his ball placement is spotty at best, as he struggles to throw to the correct side of receivers. He also has some communication issues with receivers, which lead to a pair of bad pick-sixes in the games I watched.

Synopsis

There is a scenario where Richardson becomes one the most dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL. His ceiling is incredibly high thanks to his physical profile, elite tools and otherworldly athleticism. However, he is raw and there is a more likely scenario where the game never slows down for him and his accuracy never improves and he finds himself out of the league by the end of his rookie contract. It is rare for quarterbacks to suddenly become more accurate in the NFL, but Josh Allen and Daniel Jones have done so recently. Or maybe that just means Brian Daboll is a wizard.

Ideal scheme fit: RPO-heavy offense

Grade: 82

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Draft Season Never Ends: NFL Quarterback Carousel

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There are at least a dozen NFL teams who have questions to answer about the future of the quarterback position this offseason. With so many teams needing new QBs, who might get left out and how will it impact this year’s NFL draft?

You can find every episode on Anchor, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you find your podcasts. As always, I appreciate reviews, feedback and when you hit that subscribe button.