Nick Saban: Bryce Young Has 'Done It About as Well as Anybody' Despite Size Concerns

Nick Saban isn't particularly worried about Bryce Young's size in the NFL game.

"We've all seen the 6'4" and 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," the Alabama head coach told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith on his Know Mercy podcast (h/t Mike Rodak of AL.com). "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's size—he's 5'10" and 204 pounds—is the primary concern heading into the NFL. It would be hard to find fault with much else.

The 21-year-old threw for 8,356 yards, 80 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions in his three seasons at Alabama, completing 65.8 percent of his passes. The Crimson Tide were 30-4 in his appearances and Young won the Heisman Trophy in the 2021 season.

"We all know he's small, but you grade the talent and if you like him, you make sure he's protected and you teach him to get the ball out on time," an AFC personnel executive told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. "He carries himself like a winner."

It doesn't seem likely that Young's size is going to hurt him ahead of April's NFL draft. The B/R NFL Scouting Department believes Young will be the No. 2 overall pick to the Houston Texans.

And the NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah considers Young the third-most talented player in the 2023 draft class and believes he will "quickly emerge as a quality starting quarterback in the NFL" provided he can stay healthy.

Saban isn't worried about Young's durability, or his ability to adapt to the NFL game after thriving in the SEC.

"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."