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All Eyes in the NFL Scouting World Now on Bryce Young’s Status

Plus more notes on Week 5 of the college football season, including prospects at Florida and Iowa.

Albert Breer

The last few years, my Six From Saturday notes have been included at the bottom of my MMQB column on Monday mornings. This year, they’ll be published as a separate post each week. Here are my thoughts on this weekend’s college action, geared mostly toward what should be of interest to NFL fans.

1) Alabama QB Bryce Young’s status, obviously, bears watching from an NFL perspective. The reigning Heisman winner went down hard on his throwing shoulder on Saturday in Fayetteville and, in the immediate aftermath, screamed in pain and spiked his helmet. He was back on the sideline for the second half, in full pads, but didn’t reenter the game, and Nick Saban said only that he had a sprained shoulder after the Tide outlasted Arkansas. If this is just a low-grade sprain, and obviously that Young was back on the sideline in pads indicates that could be the case, then this probably isn’t much of an issue. If there’s more to it, it being a quarterback’s throwing shoulder, then … we’ll be talking about it a lot in March and April. Either way, the NFL thinks highly of the kid, even if his size will probably be a disqualifying factor for some teams.

Alabama QB Bryce Young leaves the field after beating Vanderbilt.
Scouts will obviously want to see the reigning Heisman winner when he gets back on the field :: Gary Cosby Jr./USA TODAY Sports

“He has everything you want other than size,” said one NFC exec after Saturday’s game, who then listed “pocket instincts, poise, field vision, release quickness, arm talent and accuracy” among Young’s strengths.

2) Florida may not be wowing anyone in Billy Napier’s first year—but the NFL is following its quarterback closely. Anthony Richardson is listed at 6'4" and 232 pounds, and plays to his size. And he’s showing promise to develop into a lot more than just dual-threat quarterback/athlete, with Napier’s offense giving him at least some full-field reads to work through (Richardson has handled those well).

“He’s got some accuracy issues,” said another NFC exec. “But the dude does some freaky stuff now. He’s got size, speed, strength, toughness. And you see that in how they use him—they run him, he’s physical, you see the arm strength, and him throwing from different arm slots. Plus, he’s a good kid. He just needs time.”

This may wind up being one of those cases where a player probably could use the extra year in college, but the potential for first-round money winds up being too much to pass up. Richardson’s case will be interesting.

3) Iowa’s defense again on Saturday was forced to carry the load for its struggling offense in playing fourth-ranked Michigan—and acquitted itself well in holding the Wolverines to 327 yards (and under 300 yards deep into the fourth quarter, while the game was still in question). As you might imagine, as part of that, and everything else the Hawkeyes have gotten done on that side of the ball this year, there’s a really, really good NFL prospect. That would be senior linebacker Jack Campbell, a 6'5", 246-pound monster who racked up 11 tackles against Michigan.

“He’s an awesome kid,” said an AFC exec. “Everyone in the building loves him. He’s big. He’s gonna run really well. You’re probably looking at the Day 2 range for him [in the draft]. He might not be the flashiest athlete of all time, but he’s very consistent, he’s got a great feel for the game. He leads that group.” In short, Campbell’s a guy who has at least a shot to play a decade in the league.

4) The tension of the Georgia game, to me, is the beauty of college football, and what I’d worry about the expanded playoff stripping away. The Bulldogs needed a furious comeback to overcome Missouri on the road. In the BCS system, a national title might’ve been on the line. In the current system, Georgia’s margin for error in trying to make the playoffs was at stake—it’s tough to get in with two losses, but easier to survive with one. In the 12-team setup? Upsets will be exciting, but maybe not that exciting.

5) This is me, not scouts, talking, but Ole Miss sophomore Jaxson Dart looks like he’s got a chance to evolve into a real NFL prospect. He’s been up and down early this year for the Rebels (five TDs, three INTs, 59.5% completions), but has the build of an NFL quarterback and a really good arm. So there’s one for you to file away.

6) If you missed the story from College GameDay on Clemson DT Bryan Bresee, here it is. My warning: It’s really hard to watch, but worth it to learn a little more about what this particular NFL prospect has gone through. God bless that family.

BEST OF THE NFL INTERNET

I love these bets.

So Lamar won’t be the next Cantore.

That’s not cool!

Great movie. And I’m old.

Been there, bud.

And there’s more coming.

Ouch.

Take that, Judge! (And I promise that very few college football fans wanted Judge cut-ins on Saturday).

Would be entertaining if Lamar let him arms flail all over the place like the blow-up guy at the car dealership.

Agree. Love CD, and I’m always excited when he’s calling a game I’m watching. Super knowledgeable. Doesn’t talk down the viewer. Just a total pro.

Didn’t take long.

Wish I had this sort of transportation to the bathroom.

Don’t tweet in the first quarter of games.

Play of the Day, maybe the century, from Garrett Bolles.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The NFL’s issues with artificial turf continued in London, with Lewis Cine’s foot getting stuck in the Tottenham playing surface and dragging behind him, which led to it getting bent in an ugly direction. Cine broke his leg, and the injury was severe enough for him to stay behind in London and have emergency surgery while his teammates returned to the States.

This may not rise to the level of the concussion issue. But clearly, it’s a problem for the NFL, and one that should be addressed when the league meets with the Premier League folks this week—remember, elite international soccer teams uniformly play on natural surfaces, and do so with a purpose.

Here then, to wrap up this week’s column, are some of my thoughts on the subject.

More NFL coverage:

• Kenny Pickett in Good Hands With Mike Tomlin
• Next Man Up: Top Coaching Candidates for 2023
• We Need Answers About Tua Tagovailoa’s Injuries
• Ryan Griffin’s Long Life as Tom Brady’s Backups’ Backup

Published
Albert Breer
ALBERT BREER

Albert Breer is a senior writer covering the NFL for Sports Illustrated, delivering the biggest stories and breaking news from across the league. He has been on the NFL beat since 2005 and joined SI in 2016. Breer began his career covering the New England Patriots for the MetroWest Daily News and the Boston Herald from 2005 to '07, then covered the Dallas Cowboys for the Dallas Morning News from 2007 to '08. He worked for The Sporting News from 2008 to '09 before returning to Massachusetts as The Boston Globe's national NFL writer in 2009. From 2010 to 2016, Breer served as a national reporter for NFL Network. In addition to his work at Sports Illustrated, Breer regularly appears on NBC Sports Boston, 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, FS1 with Colin Cowherd, The Rich Eisen Show and The Dan Patrick Show. A 2002 graduate of Ohio State, Breer lives near Boston with his wife, a cardiac ICU nurse at Boston Children's Hospital, and their three children.

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