Colbie Young doesn’t sound like a rookie trying to force his way into the conversation. He sounds like a player who understands exactly where he landed.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ fourth-round pick out of Georgia has already started to turn heads, but the bigger test for him isn’t just making catches. It’s showing he can absorb everything around him fast enough to earn trust in an offense that brings back all 11 starters and plenty of veterans behind them.
“We've got a lot of veteran guys, so there's really no time to slow down for a rookie,” Young said. “I've got to jump on board and adapt to the culture and get ready to win.”
That mindset is showing up on the field. The most obvious example came when backup quarterback Joe Flacco gave Young a chance on a 50-50 ball down the sideline, trusting him to go get it. Young did exactly that, winning the battle over cornerback Josh Newton for one of the best catches of the day.
“We got the coverage we wanted,” Young said. “We'd been watching it all practice, just getting the depth we wanted. Joe Flacco trusted me and put a great ball up there.
“Without him throwing me the ball, there is no catch right there,” Young added. “Him being able to trust me and put it out there to a rookie is everything.”
Young finished Monday with two catches, but the receptions are only part of the story. Every rep is a chance to build confidence with the quarterbacks and coaches, and the Bengals have clearly been using him all over the formation to see how much he can handle.
That versatility matters to Young. He said he wants to know the whole playbook, not just the pieces that fit a rookie role.
“I've got to know this whole playbook,” Young said. “There's a lot of veteran guys, so I've got to jump on board right now.
There is no time for rookie mistakes. I've got to be in the same mental state as Tee (Higgins) and Ja'Marr (Chase).
“I really wanted to play in the slot a lot, get me on a nickel safety or a linebacker even,” added Young, who had only 20 of his 318 snaps in the slot last year. “We had great slots at Georgia and Miami, so I didn't really need to be in the slot. But I'm very comfortable moving in there and getting the coverage I want.”
And Young’s value isn’t limited to the passing game. At 6-foot-4 and 218 pounds, he’s also willing to do the grunt work that doesn’t show up in the highlight reel, even if that means a heavy blocks-to-targets imbalance.
“We've got a great running back, great o-line, but sometimes we need a bigger receiver to go dig out a safety and spring the running back free,” Young said. “I will do that dirty work and keep those guys (Higgins and Chase) from getting banged up.”
For Young, the patience is part of the plan. He knows he’s joining a room with major talent, and he’s not trying to skip steps.
“I'm one of the luckiest receivers to get drafted,” he said. “I've got two Hall of Famers in front of me who I get to learn from.
I'm not getting rushed into a system where I have to perform right now. I'm just sitting back and learning so I can be in their steps one day.”
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Bengals Camp Just Raised A New Concern In The Secondary
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Bengals Camp Debate Keeps Growing Around One Thin Position Group
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NFL.coms recent look at available options pointed to Kyle Van Noy as a name that could make sense, citing his experience and recent production, while Bobby Wagner also came up as another high-profile possibility. Cincinnati has not made that move yet, but the longer the market sits there, the more the discussion feels like one of the camps lingering debates rather than a passing thought. [Read more 🡒]