The Games NFL Teams Play Inside The Draft

NASHVILLE- The NFL world is in Indianapolis this week for the annual scouting combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Many draft-eligible college players will endure media sessions, interviews with team executives, and run drills on the field, all in hopes of making their professional football dreams a reality.

Another reality of this week, and in the NFL in general, is that while there is an offseason where teams aren’t competing on the field, the competition and games never actually cease.

The distraction game is one of the games teams will play during the next few days. An example is using reports to try to drop certain players’ value so that they might slide lower in the draft ranking, and their teams might be able to select them.

An example would be for a team to start the rumor that a wide receiver is slower than most teams would like, yet he ran the exact forty times as two receivers drafted in the first round the previous year. While that player might be slow compared to the current crop in his draft, he is exactly what teams took one year ago.

One such “game” being played as we speak surrounds the height of former Heisman-winning Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.

Reports came out earlier in the week where ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay stated, “If I’m a GM, I’m scared to death of drafting him” regarding his height.

The questions of Young’s height have been with him since he arrived at Alabama and continue now as following his measurements in Indianapolis, Young officially stands 5’10 1/8th” and weighed in at 204 pounds, and with hands that measured nine and 3/4ths of an inch.

Alabama QB Bryce Young measurements at the Combine:

Height: 5-10 and 1/8th of an inch
Weight: 204 pounds
Hands: 9 and 3/4ths of an inch
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 4, 2023

While it’s true that NFL teams prefer taller quarterbacks, there have been success stories of players under six feet being superior talents.

Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, and Kyler Murray all come to mind, with the previous two leading their teams to Super Bowl titles. So to think Young won’t be good based on height is ridiculous.

Looking at Russell Wilson’s draft day height, he stood 5’11,” which is slightly taller than Young. Height hasn’t deterred him from reaching the pinnacle of success in the league.

Of course, there are no guarantees he will be successful either. Success or failure for rookie quarterbacks often hinges on more than just their abilities. They have to have some talent around them to succeed.

Take, for instance, another former Heisman-winning quarterback who entered the league standing just 5’11 3/4,” only slightly taller, but not discernably different than Young. Yet, he was lauded as a can’t miss prospect.

Johnny Manziel was taken No.22 overall in the 2014 draft. He was the second quarterback chosen behind Blake Bortles. Manziel was a bust, primarily because his actions off the field likely impacted his performance on the field.

There are two examples of more diminutive players, one succeeding and one failing. Wilson went to an organization in Seattle with a coach and general manager who were able to build around him, providing a stout running game, solid receivers, and a top-notch defense.

Manziel and his off-field issues landed in Cleveland, where at the time, their organization was a train wreck colliding with a dumpster fire who failed to give their young quarterback the supporting cast that might have given him a better chance at success.

So now that Young is in the spotlight for his lack of ideal height, which team will ultimately select him, and how well will they build around him to give him the best chance to win games?

One thing we know for sure of Young, he was a big-time performer for the Crimson Tide, playing with elite talents that are now on NFL rosters. I see no reason he won’t be successful in the league if he lands with the right coach and organization capable of putting him with the talent needed to win.

"I've been this size, respectfully, my whole life," Young said while speaking Friday at the NFL scouting combine. "I know who I am, I know what I can do. For me, it's fair, everyone can speculate, ask me every question. I'm going to continue to control what I can control, continue to keep working my hardest. ... I'm confident in myself. I know what I can do."

Those in the NFL not playing this game, know what he can do too.