Watch Bryce Young throw at Alabama pro day; Nick Saban has great reply to height concerns
Bryce Young delivered during his throwing session Thursday at Alabama’s pro day in Tuscaloosa.
The potential first pick in the upcoming NFL draft delivered most passes with pinpoint accuracy. While there were a handful of incompletions, only a couple were as a result of Young.
Two balls were dropped by Jermaine Burton while at one hit the practice facility’s roof.
“I felt good,” Young said of his performance. “I was just happy to come out here and get an opportunity to show what I can do. I was happy for the guys that came out and helped me. Just being able to throw to my guys again is always great.”
Brooks Kubena of the “Houston Chronicle” tabulated that Young completed 44 of the 50 passes he attempted.
Alabama coach Nick Saban said he believed his quarterback to be the best player in the upcoming draft.
“Bryce is somebody everybody is interested in,” Saban said when asked what scouts were asking the coach about. “Hopefully, he’ll be the first pick in the draft. Nobody knows that for sure. I don’t think anyone disagrees that he’s one of the outstanding players in the draft. I guess it’s about your needs and your particular feeling maybe about him. We’re hopeful, and we think he’s the best player in the draft.”
Still, Saban was asked about whether Young’s height matters.
“I don’t think so,” Saban said. “I think you should ask the people that had to play against him the last couple of years and see if it affected his performance. I really don’t. I think he is so instinctive. He processes so well. He prepares so well. He has a quickness in the pocket. He plays the position like a point guard in basketball, and his production, consistency and performance have been off the charts. Most of the time those things will translate to the next level.”
Young believes he accomplished what he set out to do.
“Diversity,” he said when asked what he wanted to show. “There’s a lot of things you can see on film. Some stuff under center I want to work. Some straight drop back, some play pass, some arc … things like that along with some longer developing concepts that can stretch the field. We just wanted to make sure we put together scripts that encompasses everything.”
Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.