Why is Bryce Young not working out, throwing at NFL Combine?

Bryce Young will only interview with teams in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine, doing no workouts and not throwing. Why is the draft’s top QB skipping it?

Just watch the tape. Bryce Young out of Alabama is the best quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft class. But as we approach the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, the questions and doubters are out in full force, questioning most notably his height. Now comes the news for the Combine.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday that Young will not throw or workout in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine, meaning no 40-yard dash, no drills, nothing but interviews for the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner.

Meanwhile, the other top quarterbacks in the draft — C.J. Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson — will all take part in all of the drills and at least parts of the workouts.

As Rapoport noted, it isn’t an injury keeping Young out at the Combine. And he’s set to work out and throw at his Pro Day two weeks after on March 15. So why isn’t Bryce Young participating in the workouts or drills in Indianapolis?

Why Bryce Young isn’t working out or throwing at the NFL Combine, explained

Let me preface this by saying that this is all speculation as, for now, we don’t have an official explanation for why Young isn’t working out, though we may get one in Indianapolis.

Having said that, it would be completely understandable if the reason Young isn’t going to participate in anything at the NFL Combine comes back to the size concerns that have come up about him.

Young, who is reportedly going to measure around 5-foot-10.5, would be an outlier in terms of his size. Only five quarterbacks in the Mockdraftable database have ever measured in shorter than that. Moreover, only two active NFL quarterbacks are under 6-foot, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson.

What stands out is that Wilson measured at the Combine at 204 pounds and Murray at 207 pounds. Young was listed at Alabama at 194 pounds but some have speculated him coming in under that weight for much of the season. That lack of girth combined with his height raise real questions about his durability with that frame.

Subsequently, it’s entirely likely that Young is going through an intense bulking cycle right now to quell some of those worries. If he can get measured in Indianpolis at 5-foot-10.5 (or taller) and 200+ pounds, that’s going to work in his favor, even if it’s transparent. But that would also slow him down and perhaps mess up his throwing mechanics as well.

That, however, is the most likely explanation. In an effort to make at least some of the size concerns subside, Young is foregoing the workouts because he’s bulking up, will then shed some of that weight or will train more at that weight, then will go through the routines at his Pro Day.

Really, this is where draft season gets silly. But it’s also the reality of what these prospects have to do to try and alleviate concerns.