The eye-opening NFL combine performance of Anthony Richardson has propelled the former Florida quarterback to now having the second-shortest odds to be taken No. 1 in next month’s NFL draft.

Richardson ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash while setting combine records for a quarterback in both the broad jump and vertical jump. Richardson measured 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds, igniting a debate this week about how he stacks up against 5-foot-10, 204-pound Bryce Young and the superior college production of Alabama’s quarterback.

Alabama coach Nick Saban was asked by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on his “Know Mercy” podcast published Wednesday about Young’s height and, without naming Richardson, made general reference to quarterbacks of a similar size to the ex-Gator.

“We’ve all seen the 6-4, 225-pound guy that can throw it like a bazooka, but he can’t make the choices and decisions, he can’t distribute the ball, he can’t throw it accurately,” Saban said. “So who’s the better bet? I’m going on history, production, performance and Bryce Young’s done it about as well as anybody.”

Young would be the lightest quarterback chosen in the first round of an NFL draft since at least 2003, and he would tie Kyler Murray as the shortest. Saban, however, noted durability was not a concern for Young in college.

“I think history is the best indicator of what the future is going to bring,” Saban said. “Bryce is not ideal height that NFL folks would like to see for that particular position, quarterback. But I think Bryce has played extremely well. He has no history of being injury-prone.

“Because the SEC — there’s a lot of folks in the SEC that end up playing in the NFL. And he plays against those guys every week. He’s never had a problem with injuries.”

Young played every game of his sophomore season in 2021, his first as a starter, while he missed one game last season because of a shoulder injury suffered while falling out of bounds against Arkansas.

“The only one that he had a problem with was self-inflicted, because when he was throwing the ball away at the last minute, he’s diving on the ground — he’s already sacked, he should just go down — and now he pulls his shoulder up,” Saban said. “But I don’t think it’s an issue. I think you have to look at each individual player. This guy plays quarterback like a point guard in basketball. He’s got eyes all over. He knows where everybody is. He can extend plays. He creates throwing lanes for himself, which is important for a guy his size. He can make all the throws. He’s smart.

“So he has a lot of the attributes from a psychological disposition standpoint that are necessary to excel at this position.”

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.