Zac Taylor “really comfortable” with Bengals adding Colbie Young amid checkered past

TL;DR

The Cincinnati Bengals have drafted wide receiver Colbie Young despite his past legal issues, with head coach Zac Taylor expressing confidence in his character. Taylor stated that extensive research led the team to feel comfortable adding Young to their roster.

Key points

Cincinnati Bengals drafted wide receiver Colbie Young in the fourth round
Young had a past arrest for battery and assault, charges later dropped
Zac Taylor expressed confidence in Young's character after extensive research

Colbie YoungCincinnati BengalsJoe BurrowJermaine Burton

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 1: Colbie Young #8 of the Georgia Bulldogs warms up before the College Football Playoff Quarter Final Game against the Ole Miss Rebels at Caesars Superdome on January 1, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Cincinnati Bengals have taken risks on players with character issues in the past. And they’ve had pretty mixed results. The latest such move is the drafting of wide receiver Colbie Young out of Georgia in the fourth round of this year’s Draft. Back in October of 2024, Young was arrested and charged with battery and assault. But the woman involved in the incident later retracted her statement to police and requested that charges be dropped. Young also suffered a leg fracture midway through the 2025 season but was able to return for the team’s College Football Playoff loss to Ole Miss. While other teams may have shied away from taking the talented receiver on account of that history, the Bengals did so with complete confidence, it seems. Head coach Zac Taylor has made it clear that the team did extensive research on Young and came away confident in him as a human being. “Talking to all the humans we talked to that really stood on the table for him, and Georgia returned him to play,” Taylor said following the selection of Young. “We just felt really comfortable with the person we are adding to our locker room, the person we are adding to our community, just all of us getting to know the kid. “We feel really, really comfortable with bringing Colbie in here, and I think once you all get to know him, you will see the same thing we see.” Taylor added that the Bengals “have a lot of people that have done a lot of research on [Young]” and that this time he feels “comfortable” and “great” about the situation. Hopefully, this isn’t another situation, and we get to see Young consistently on the field catching passes from .

Q&A

What were Colbie Young's legal issues before being drafted by the Bengals?

Colbie Young was arrested in October 2024 for battery and assault, but the charges were later dropped after the involved woman retracted her statement.

How did Zac Taylor justify the Bengals' decision to draft Colbie Young?

Zac Taylor emphasized that the team conducted thorough research on Young and felt confident in his character and ability to contribute positively to the team.

What injury did Colbie Young suffer during his college career?

Colbie Young suffered a leg fracture midway through the 2025 season but returned to play in the College Football Playoff against Ole Miss.