A physical, big-play receiver who overcame a junior-college start and a suspension at Georgia, Colbie Young lands in Cincinnati as a fourth-round talent bet.
Colbie Young took an unconventional path through college football, from junior college to Miami to Georgia, developing into a big, fast target before the Bengals drafted him in the fourth round of the 2026 draft. Character concerns tied to a 2024 legal matter affected his draft stock, but Cincinnati was comfortable taking him after grading him as high as the third round.
Path to the league
A first-team all-state performer at Binghamton High School in New York, Young began his college career at Lackawanna College before transferring to Miami, where he played the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He transferred again to Georgia ahead of the 2024 season.
Career highlights
Young's best statistical season came at Miami in 2023, when he caught 47 passes for 563 yards and five touchdowns as the Hurricanes' third-leading receiver. Across two seasons at Georgia he added 37 catches for 507 yards and three touchdowns, helping give the Bengals a big, physical target when they took him in the fourth round (No. 140 overall) in 2026.
2025 season recap
Young returned to Georgia for the 2025 season after a suspension cut his 2024 campaign to five games; he appeared in seven games in 2025, catching 23 passes for 336 yards and a touchdown. On October 8, 2024, he had been arrested and charged with battery and assault of an unborn child, leading to an indefinite suspension by coach Kirby Smart; he accepted a plea deal in January 2025 that resulted in 12 months of probation and was reinstated to the team. The Bengals drafted him in April 2026 and signed him to a rookie deal that May.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Colbie Young
- Bengals.com: Colbie Young
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Wide Receiver
- Group
- offense
- College
- Georgia
- Hometown
- Binghamton, NY, USA
- Age
- 24
- Status
- active
