Colts 2023 NFL Draft prospect preview: Alabama QB Bryce Young

Leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft, IndyStar will preview prospects who could be a fit for the Colts. They pick at No. 4 in the first round, No. 35 in the second round and No. 79 in the third round.

Today's preview looks at Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.

Height: 5-10

Weight: 204

Projected round: 1

40-yard dash time: N/A

Bench press: N/A

Vertical jump: N/A

Broad jump: N/A

3-cone drill: N/A

20-yard shuttle: N/A

Key stats: Threw 79 touchdowns to 12 interceptions with 8,200 yards on 66% completions and 8.8 yards per attempt in two seasons as Alabama's starter. Won the Southeastern Conference championship in 2021 and the Sugar Bowl in 2022. Won the 2021 Heisman Trophy and finished No. 6 in 2022. SEC Offensive Player of the Year in 2021, when he finished third in the nation in pass efficiency.

Quotable: "I've been this size, respectfully, my whole life. I know who I am. I know what I can do."

Analysis: Bryce Young came into this process as the No. 1 quarterback and though he's had challenges to that throne, there's still a good chance he's the first one off the board. His body of work is impressive. The holes can be spoken through.

That resume includes two years leading Alabama into the fray of college football's elite, which is not exactly new for a Crimson Tide quarterback. But timing was key for Young, as he stepped in following the mass departures from arguably the best Alabama team ever in 2020, and that NFL Draft drain whittled the team he was working around to something more of a good-not-great level by 2022.

Still, Young consistently found a way to elevate. His first year as a starter was immaculate, winning the Heisman Trophy, ripping up an elite Georgia defense for 421 yards in the SEC Championship Game and playing within a quarter of winning it all. His second season was arguably more impressive because of the way things crumbled around him, including an AC joint sprain in his shoulder that he played through during the heart of the conference schedule and missed just one game.

Young created more this season, showing the wheels to extend plays, the poise to keep his eyes on his progressions, the knowledge of the system to find receivers in phase and the accuracy to throw from deep drops and off-platform. Texas had Alabama dead to rights if not for the plays Young extended and the comeback he led with two scoring drives in the final nine minutes, and he went toe-to-toe with Hendon Hooker and Tennessee with 35 completions, 455 yards and an 18-point comeback before losing a 52-49 shootout.

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Young has some Drew Brees in his movement within the pocket. He flashes some Russell Wilson in his deep-ball accuracy. He shows some Patrick Mahomes in his throws off-platform. And yet none of them played with the slender frame he did, which can make the projection more difficult.

What's remarkable about Young is how rarely his 5-foot-10, 204-pound frame shows up on tape. Despite playing behind Alabama's line and against the likes of Georgia, LSU and Tennessee, Young never had an issue seeing the field or throwing across the middle; in fact, the middle of the field was his bread-and-butter, given his vision, accuracy, touch and arm angles. He also missed just one game in two seasons. The SEC isn't quite the NFL, but it's the closest level of football to it, and he was the best player it had.

The fact is that no first-round player since Richie Lucas in 1960 has attempted to play at Young's listed playing weight of 194, which makes topics like durability a mystery. But it's unfair to assume that he's at an increased risk of injury in this class just because of it. Based on some small-sample research, small quarterbacks are not more likely to get hurt than bigger ones. Quarterbacks like Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Carson Wentz and Josh Allen play to their size, inviting contact in the pocket and down the field. Brees, meanwhile, played within himself to get the ball away before the hits arrived. The NFL rules protect only one type of these players, and it's not the battering ram. It's players like Young.

The size concern crops up when Young is throwing from a muddled pocket and has to arm throws without generating power from his lower body. Beyond the need to keep a small kid from collapsing, this is the best argument for a team to build pass protection through the middle, because he'll need those throwing lanes. This concern does take something off the ceiling.

The Colts aren't likely to have a shot at drafting Young, given that the Panthers and Texans would both need to pass. Chris Ballard has strict size measurables for high picks and Young would be an all-time outlier. He also needs to rebuild an offensive line that got two quarterbacks injured last season, which hasn't happened yet.

But Young is perhaps the best version of the "obsessive" brand of quarterback new coach Shane Steichen talks constantly about, something he backed up by writing his own scouting reports on opponents to help build weekly game plans at Alabama. He ran a system under Bill O'Brien with easy translatable concepts to his first pro offense, like his ability to execute out of empty sets, something Steichen employs. He's been the face of a contending program for two seasons and has played on the biggest stages. He's ready to step in and end a quarterback carousel from the moment he's drafted, which is something the Colts could really use.

And for those reasons, it's unlikely he makes it beyond the second pick in the draft.

Contact Colts insider Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts 2023 NFL Draft prospect preview: Alabama QB Bryce Young