Bryce Young has the arm strength to make all the NFL-level throws, but he’ll never be confused as a quarterback with a rifle for an arm. When he fails to set his feet in the pocket and attempts to put zip on the ball, he can get erratic with low throws or sailing the ball. His accuracy on the run is surprisingly good and fluid, though, as he throws with touch with enough juice. Young can lace some balls into tight windows and deep to the boundaries when he’s in rhythm and feeling it (Georgia SEC Championship 2021). He can also be erratic, especially past 25-30 yards downfield. Young’s pocket presence is solid as he displays escapability and playmaking ability outside of structure. He can utilize multiple arm angles in the pocket and on the move to facilitate accurate passes. His rushing upside is real at the NFL level. He rarely takes big hits, protecting himself well by sliding. His open-field agility and burst are nice. Young has all the tools to succeed in the NFL, but some areas of his game still need to be polished.

He is sometimes slow on the trigger, looking a second behind on some progressions and throws. Young will lock onto his first read and attempt some head-scratching passes into tight coverage when open receivers are running crossers over the middle of the field. This is more evident in his 2022 film, with a downgraded cast of characters surrounding him. It still popped up in 2021, but he played with more confidence in this season with Jameson Williams and John Metchie at his side. Young reminds me of watching Trevor Lawrence‘s final season film in that regard. Young plays with tempered aggression, but he’s still learning. He has no issues fitting the ball into a tight window in the short and intermediate regions or taking the check down when nothing is open. In 2022, he opted for check downs or to take off running more which can be a reflection of his surrounding cast, but it’s also a reflection of him. There are moments during that season where he bailed clean pockets or missed open wide receivers when he failed to come off his first read. Young is still trying to find the perfect balance between aggression and taking what the defense gives him.

2.03 – Michael Mayer (TE)

Mayer should be an immediate pass-game weapon on any depth chart. At worst, he has the receiving chops to be the second option in a passing attack. Mayer has plus speed, fluid hips, and the route-running nuance of an NFL veteran. His routes vary in tempo, with head fakes at the top of his stem. On vertical routes, he displays good bend and changes of direction. He’s an early separator against linebackers and flashes solid late separation on the perimeter against corners. Maher can be used on the perimeter, even against press or man coverage. He has the requisite speed, upper body strength, and footwork to defeat this coverage type. Mayer is mean as a blocker. He’s tenacious and determined to bury his defender in the dirt. He’s better inline as a pass protector and run blocker than as a pulling blocker or lead. Maher has a good anchor, but he needs to work on leverage. He has the functional strength and technique to enter any NFL depth chart and be a league-average blocker with the upside to grow into an exceptional blocker. As nasty as Maher is with blocking, you’d think he would be a monster after the catch, but it isn’t the case. Maher’s play strength doesn’t consistently bubble to the top in this area. He needs to channel his aggression into breaking tackles after the catch with stiff arms, etc. Last year he was 88th in YAC per reception (minimum 20 targets

Abanikanda is a patient runner with electric burst. When he sees a crease, he moves like lightning. He’s tailor-made for an outside-zone team. He’s a natural moving down the surveying for a hole or cutback lane. He sets up his blocks in the second level well before exploding to daylight. He’s a linear runner that has some hip tightness. He is likelier to spin move a defender to avoid a tackle than move laterally or jump-cut. Abanikanda has house call type of speed. Any touch can go for 50 yards if he gets a crease. He looks the part of a 4.3 speedster. His spindly lower half doesn’t lend itself to many broken tackles. He more than makes up for what he lacks in power in speed.

Mingo is an inconsistent separator. Mingo can gain enough separation to haul in contested catches, but you won’t see Mingo sending anyone to the shadow realm on a route. His upper body strength shows up in blocking, fighting through press, and after the catch. Mingo can make some things happen after the catch with his dense lower half. Mingo was utilized on screens for 18.4% of his target volume in 2022. He ranked 11th in YAC per reception (minimum 15 screen targets) on screens last season.