Mel Kiper Jr. continues to break down and preview his outlook for the 2023 NFL Draft. On Tuesday, that included a more in-depth look at the race for QB1.

During an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up,” Kiper hit on the 4 players in the mix to become the first quarterback selected in the draft. At the end of the day, Kiper sees strengths and weaknesses for each QB in the group.

“Bryce Young’s size is a concern, no question about it. That weight, what would it be? 195, 200, 205, we’ll see. In terms of CJ Stroud, that Georgia game put him in the discussion, we saw what he could do with his legs,” Kiper said. “Will Levis, I contend had he been healthy all year and got some help from his teammates and o-line, we wouldn’t even have the discussion, Will Levis would be the No. 1 pick guaranteed but that didn’t happen. Anthony Richardson would have been in his second year and had he made improvements over what he did in Year 1, (he) would have been No. 1 overall but only had 13 starts and we have inconsistent passing for a kid who’s supremely talented.”

Kiper does believe Young has the edge for now as the top QB available, but that doesn’t change the fact he would be a historic selection at No. 1 overall. According to Kiper, no player has ever gone that high in the draft at Young’s size.

“There’s questions with all 4 to a certain extent, I think QB1 is still to be determined,” explained Kiper. “I do think there’s consensus from the people I talk to is Bryce Young, but it isn’t everybody cause that size is a big concern… We have never in the history of the draft had a player go this high at that size.”

What it means for the NFL Combine

On Monday, it was reported that Bryce Young will take part in meeting with teams this week at the combine but will wait to throw at Alabama’s pro day. The rest of the QB group is expected to throw in Indianapolis while Anthony Richardson will take part in every drill and workout.

Based on Kiper’s break down and various other reports, Young’s decision on when to throw likely has little impact on his overall stock for the draft. Teams have seen what the arm can do but Young’s size and durability will be bigger talking points in discussions heading toward the draft.