Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans was not worried about Bryce Young’s primary pre-draft critique, his size, from scouts at the NFL’s annual league meetings in Phoenix on March 28 — pointing out that being under six-foot-tall and 200 pounds has never stopped the Alabama quarterback from succeeding at the collegiate level before.
“For Bryce, I know it’s a lot going on to talk about his size,” Ryans said. “The guy has done it at the highest level in college football, and size hasn’t seemed to be a problem. I don’t see it as an issue because you watch the tape, and you put on the tape, and you see the kid play and you see how smart he is.”
Ryans noted that Young is calm when the game is on the line, showing some game-changing traits during his time leading the Crimson Tide.
“You see the anticipation,” Ryans said. “You see the accuracy. You see how this guy is calm in critical moments.”
DeMeco Ryans on Bryce Young: ‘Look at the Track Record’
Ryans used a familiar trope to dismiss Young’s doubters when speaking to reporters in Phoenix Monday: checking the receipts in relation to what the quarterback is capable of during in-game situations.
“When you see those things, size isn’t one of the factors that pop up on tape that’s like, ‘Oh, man, it’s a problem,’” Ryans said. “Again, you just look at the track record, see what he’s done in the SEC, the highest level of college football, he’s been successful, and I think he’ll be successful in the NFL, as well.”
Ryans’ message was not too far removed from how Nick Saban described the 21-year-old signal-caller — evoking one of the NFL’s greatest passers, Drew Brees, in the process.
“Drew Brees was always the biggest nemesis Nick Saban ever had whether it was at Michigan State when he was at Purdue or in the NFL,” Saban said. “He was five-foot-11 or whatever. It wasn’t an issue in his college career. And he’s going to be playing a lot of the same players in that league that he did in the SEC.”
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Texans Coach Sends Strong Message on Overblown Bryce Young Drawback