Frank Reich: Panthers won't let height rule out Bryce Young

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers coach Frank Reich hasn't ruled out any of the four quarterbacks targeted for the top pick of the draft, including Alabama's Bryce Young, whose biggest drawback is that he is only 5-foot-10.

On Monday, the first time he's spoken publicly since Carolina traded with Chicago for the top pick 10 days ago, he quickly emphasized that he had a «very high grade'' on Russell Wilson in 2012.

Wilson, who helped the Seattle Seahawks win one Super Bowl and reach another in addition to making the Pro Bowl nine times, is 5-11 in a world where the average height of NFL quarterbacks is 6-3.

»Don't read anything into it,'' said Reich, who was a 6-foot-4 NFL quarterback. «I'm just saying that because all these people are putting this label on me that I only look at big quarterbacks.''

Reich wouldn't even discuss how much weight he will put into the height of the quarterbacks being evaluated for the top pick among Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud (6-3), Florida's Anthony Richardson (6-4) and Kentucky's Will Levis (6-4). He said that would be like Kentucky Fried Chicken giving its „proprietary formula.''

“When you have the No. 1 pick you don't have to play games, right?» Reich said. «It's not like we're trying to fool anybody. What we're trying to do is take all the time we can on the evaluation.''

That said, in 17 years of coaching Reich's never had a starting quarterback shorter than 6-2, and most of his quarterbacks (Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, etc.) have been 6-4 or taller.

General manager Scott Fitterer, however, was on the Seattle staff that selected Wilson in the third round of the 2012 draft and had a first-round grade on him.

»One thing about Russell, he never really got