What can we expect to see from Colbie Young in his rookie campaign?
The Cincinnati Bengals’ fourth-round draft pick out of Georgia was relatively quiet during the opening week of training camp.
However, Young had his best day of camp on Monday afternoon. That included a spectacular catch on the sideline from Joe Flacco, going up and high-pointing the football over the defender.
At 6-foot-4 and around 220 pounds, Young has excellent size for the receiver position. This allows him to make contested catches consistently over cornerbacks. He is more of a big-play weapon than incumbent wide receiver No. 3 Andrei Iosivas.
At Georgia, over 75% of Young’s receptions resulted in either a first down or a touchdown. He was known for running a lot of posts and 9 routes for the Bulldogs.
Young added a touchdown reception during Monday’s practice. It’s important to note that both of these plays came from passes from Joe Flacco.
Iosivas continues working with Joe Burrow and the first-team offense. That likely means he begins the season as one of the starting receivers.
However, I think Colbie Young could ultimately start cutting into his snaps throughout the season. With Iosivas having a 13% drop rate in 2025, combined with entering the final year of his contract, the Bengals would be wise to work in Young more and more as the season gets underway.
Young spoke with the media after practice. He discussed how he can sit back and learn from what he believes are two future Hall of Famers at the receiver position.
“I think I am one of the luckiest receivers to get drafted. I got two Hall of Fame receivers in front of me that I get to learn from. I don’t have to be rushed in, but when my number is called, I have to go out and perform.”
It will be important for Young to impress during preseason action. He will get his first opportunity next Thursday when the Bengals face the Lions in their first preseason game of the year.
