2023 NFL Draft Prospect Watch: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

Alabama star Bryce Young enters this NFL Draft as arguably the top QB prospect. Going into draft season, most mocks have him over C.J. Stroud as the No. 1 QB. While Will Anderson and Jalen Carter are better prospects going into the NFL Draft, Young has a great chance to be the top pick in 2023. 

Bryce Young will most likely declare for the 2023 NFL Draft after or before Alabama takes on Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl. Young led a shaky Tide (for their own standards) and guided them to 10 wins behind an inconsistent Alabama offensive line, and defense that committed lots of penalties this season.

In 2022, Bryce Young had 3,007 yards and 27 touchdowns, along with only 5 interceptions. His QBR was 83.7, which was eighth in the country in that stat. Young was lowkey snubbed for the Heisman Trophy this season, but ultimately there were better candidates that got invited to New York.

He did win the Heisman last season behind a year where he threw for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions. He had a completion percentage of 66%. While he did play some mop-up duty as a freshman, 2021 was the first year he had the starting job.

Bryce Young has a lot of arm talent and explosiveness. He is a dual-threat QB, who is definitely able to move around in an unstable pocket (which was proven this season with a poor Alabama offensive line). He doesn’t have many weaknesses in his NFL Draft profile.

Strengths: Throwing Power/Accuracy/Explosiveness

There is a lot to like about Bryce Young. He has very good throwing power and solid accuracy. Addtionally, he can be very explosive and move outside the pocket. There aren’t a lot of holes in his game and the Crimson Tide signal-caller should be a starter on day one or close to it.

Weaknesses: Small Height

Bryce Young is 6-foot-flat. While this is the only real major weakness I have for him, it is something that can’t be worked on. Obviously, he is stuck being 6-foot — or around that — for the rest of his career. There will be questions about his ability to handle a pocket with that size, but a positive sign for Young’s camp is that he has nice mobility, and being short didn’t seem to be a huge negative for Kyler Murray’s career. Murray is even shorter than Young at 5-foot-10.

NFL Draft Projection: Top 1 to Top 3

I don’t think Young will slide past the third pick in this upcoming NFL Draft. If I had to make a bet, I would say he goes No. 1 overall. Considering Will Anderson, Jalen Carter and C.J. Stroud are in this draft, there is a chance Bryce Young slides, but I would not expect a slide past No. 3. Currently, I have Young over Stroud, and for me personally, I expect it to stay that way.

As I said in the Will Anderson piece, some teams might have Stroud over Young respectfully for differing reasons. It will probably come down to who has the No. 1 pick, but if the Texans stay with the worst record, I would expect for them to give Bryce Young a very hard look. If they stay at one, Houston would be deciding between Stroud/Young for the first overall pick.