NFL Draft Analytics: QB Bryce Young - Visiting Texans Today - is Houston Best Fit
If you need a quarterback the way the Houston Texans do then it makes sense to see talent like Alabama's Bryce Young consistently mocked to the team.
Part of that “sense”: Young is in Houston today for his pre-Draft visit.
And more …
In the tradition of mock drafting, quarterbacks are easy fits with teams like the Texans and rarely draw the ire of fan bases outside of when the one you send there isn't the one they want.
But even when you go outside the scope of 'gut feelings' and traditional projections, Young to Houston makes sense on another level.
"Of this year's crop of QB prospects, Young has the best college film," says NFL.com when taking an analytical approach to matching draft-eligible quarterbacks with their best team fits. "Not only was Young the best passer in the FBS in 2022, per Pro Football Focus' grade (91.3), but he led all FBS QBs in passing yards (2,363) and passing TDs (27) when under pressure in his three seasons at Alabama, per PFF."
So, the data supports the Texans making Young he second player off the board at the NFL Draft this month, but NFL.com doesn't stop there.
Adding to the evaluation, the site goes on to make direct player comparisons and give Houston fans an idea of the quarterback they'd be getting in this scenario.
"There are definite parallels between Young and the similarly undersized Drew Brees," said NFL.com. "But because my models focus on the past 15 seasons of data, with even more importance on the past 10 seasons, I wanted to go with QBs who made the college-to-pro leap more recently."
So the comparisons they make for Young are to those of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and free agent Teddy Bridgewater.
"Young shares his accuracy from the pocket with Tagovailoa," says NFL.com. "(Both) excel at making plays with multiple reads and progressions...Of the QBs selected in the first round who measure 6-1 or shorter over the past 15 years, Tagovailoa has the best passer rating (95.0)...Young's passing platform is similar to Bridgewater's in terms of hip movement and leg placement. In his two most recent seasons as a regular starter (2020 and '21), Bridgewater ranked eighth in completion rate (68.1%) among those to attempt at least 200 passes. I also see Bridgewater's change-of-direction speed on runs."
All of this leads NFL.com to believe Young and the Texans are a fit saying, "The potential for Young to have extended dropbacks and/or more time in the pocket playing behind a tackle of Laremy Tunsil's caliber makes this a nice match, as should Young's familiarity with former Alabama receiver John Metchie."
Metchie is looking forward to getting to work with Houston this offseason while coach DeMeco Ryans is trying to get ahead of the 'savior' narrative that accompanies a first-round quarterback selection.
But it's clear Young has the tools, and the Texans may just have the pieces, to make the soon-to-be rookie NFL quarterback look like a hero.
Find David on Twitter @DHarrison82
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