STRONG POINTS

Young is a rare athlete for a quarterback which allowed him to consistently make big plays -- both with his arm and his feet. Despite a raw throwing technique, he can get rid of the ball very fast and can make strong and accurate throws all over the field when he strides into his throws. He has the arm strength to make deep throws with zip and accuracy. He has outstanding playing strength to keep feet and make throws while defenders are grabbing at him and can run through tackles while scrambling. He is a great young man with outstanding character -- his work ethic, leadership and intangibles give him the tools to deal with being the leader of a team early in career (He will not be overwhelmed by having to carry a bad offense on his back as he did for Texas in 2005).

WEAKNESSES

Even though Young's delivery/release is side-arm and raw, it shouldn't be a concern because he can get rid of the ball in a flash with good zip when he strides into throws. Teams may be more concerned by his penchant for throwing flat-footed (basically just flicking the ball) instead of striding into the throw. He has played in an option based offense and will have to adjust to playing in a pro-style offense where he has to go through progressions and read the defense. He doesn't see underneath coverage well and it leads to defenders consistently getting their hands on his throws. Too often, defensive backs can read his throws and get a very good break on the ball and can make plays on the ball too often.

POSITIONAL FACTORS

Grade Category Comments/Description 4.0 Technique His throwing motion is definitely raw and unpolished, but he can definitely get rid of the ball fast. 6.0 Arm Strength Young has good arm strength and when he strides into his throws, he can make all the throws. 7.0 Convert Pct. In passing situations, he has consistently stepped up and converted over 64 percent of important downs. 7.0 2nd Lives He has the rare athleticism, size and playing strength to avoid sacks and create something out of nothing. 6.5 Accuracy Short in Pocket It's not pretty, but he has shown the ability to make good, accurate throws on short passes (less then 10 yards). 5.5 Accuracy Long in Pocket He's good when he strides into his throws and puts zip on passes, but he struggles when he just flicks passes. 6.0 Accuracy on the Move His natural athleticism and accuracy helps him throw accurately on the move despite not setting his feet. 8.0 Big Plays He has consistently been able to make the big play when Texas needed it -- with his arm and his feet. 5.5 Under Pressure He has shown the ability to be very good vs. the blitz, but he is not consistent reading and reacting to pressure. 7.5 Leadership/Poise He is a big-time leader who has consistently shown the ability to take charge of the team. 5.5 Read Defenses This is a big question because the Texas offense did not require a ton of reads and underneath defenders often made plays on the ball. 6.0 Big Errors He does not make many errors, but will make some bad throws at times and is a fumbler when he scrambles.

ATHLETIC ABILITY	Section Grade: 9.0
Young is a rare athlete for an NFL quarterback and it helped him become one of the most dangerous all-around college quarterbacks in history. He has the tremendously quick feet to avoid sacks and turn potential 10-yard losses into big plays with his feet. He has rare foot speed for a quarterback which allows him to run away from defenders once he breaks out of the pocket. His hand and foot quickness allow him to set up and get rid of the ball in a flash -- despite not having good passing technique, he can flick the ball out of the pocket in a blur. He has the coordination, agility and balance to consistently keep his feet and make big plays even when he is in tremendously difficult positions. Other than Michael Vick and Steve Young, we may never have seen an athlete of this caliber who played quarterback.
Q.A.B. Quick Feet C.O.D. Flexibility Coordination 9.0 9.0 9.0 8.0 9.0

COMPETITIVENESS	Section Grade: 7.5
Young is an extremely tough football player who has consistently shown the ability to take a lot of punishment (both in the pocket and running with the ball) and still stays in the starting lineup. As he showed vs. USC, Young has consistently stepped up and made the key play when Texas needed it most -- if it were not for him, they would not have made it to play USC and would have been crushed by them if they had played. His overall production was remarkable in that he consistently made great plays both throwing the ball and running with it. He was tremendously consistent making big plays with his feet, but he needs to become more consistent throwing the ball down the field. Additionally, he has produced almost exclusively playing from the shotgun alignment and will have to adjust to playing under center much more often in the NFL. It's a concern that when he takes off running with the ball, he carries the ball very loosely and will fumble. He has been a tremendous team player during his career at Texas and always did whatever it took on the field for the team to succeed. You can tell he never quits by the way he took control of the Texas team on the sideline when they fell behind USC late in the fourth quarter and then carried them on his shoulders to victory.
Toughness Clutch Play Production Consistency Team Player Pride/Quit 7.0 7.5 8.0 7.0 7.5 7.5

MENTAL ALERTNESS	Section Grade: 4.0
This is the area where the real questions are. You have to wonder why Texas changed from a pro-style passing attack to more of an option passing attack. He has tremendous natural instincts which help him to react quickly and make big plays when things break down. However, he doesn't consistently read and react to the defense in passing situations. In order for a quarterback to be as productive as he was at Texas in 2005, you must play with excellent concentration on every play.
Learn/Retain Instincts/Reactions Concentration 4.0 6.5 7.0

STRENGTH/EXPLOSION	Section Grade: 6.5
Young has excellent size for a quarterback at nearly 6-5 and 230 pounds, but remarkably, on film he looks very thin legged. While he has been a durable player at Texas, NFL history has shown that quarterbacks who scramble a lot get hurt much more than pocket passers -- the most recent example is Michael Vick (although Vick is much shorter and thinner than Young). Young has rare explosiveness taking off and running with the ball, and despite his awkward looking release, the ball does burst out of his hand when he strides into his throws. He has very good playing strength for a quarterback which allows him to pull free from potential sacks and make big plays. Additionally, he can make strong an accurate throws while defenders try to sack him.
Body Type Durability Explosion Play Strength 7.5 5.0 7.0 7.0