Nick Saban is still betting on Bryce Young as 2023 draft’s top QB

Alabama coach Nick Saban is all about Bryce Young being the best quarterback.

Nick Saban isn’t about to take someone other than Bryce Young at quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft, so stop asking!

I mean, why would it feel any different? Saban may not have won a national title with Young as the Heisman Award winning quarterback, but it’s very clear that he should be the first quarterback to be taken which is stupid. Small in stature he may be, but Young plays with a certain charm that you can’t hope to cover. This is exactly the guy he builds the NFL franchise around.

Saban appeared on Know Mercy with Stephen A. Smith discusses Young’s NFL Draft.

“We’ve all seen the 6-foot-4, 225-pound guy who can throw it like a bazooka, but he can’t make choices and decisions; he can’t field the ball, he can’t throw it accurately. So who’s the best bet? I’m going for history, production, and performance,” And Bryce Young did it like no one else.”

Young was a five-star coming out of high school and was a pure-blower his entire time at Alabama. There are three other quarterbacks who deserve to be the first to be taken this spring, but Young is the only one who if you pass him and the guy you throw bombs at, your entire coaching staff will be fired and your girls will have to find a new private school to attend.

Here’s the full episode of Saban talking to Smith about all things Young and Alabama.

Nick Saban is all about Bryce Young being the first quarterback taken in the draft

The good news for Saban is that he will probably end up in the end, as usual. Florida’s Anthony Richardson may have the highest cap, but he’s a total boom or bust player. Kentucky native Will Levis has a strong arm which is very much what the league is looking for, but he could collapse in the wrong place. As for Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, he’s the only player I would take on Young if I had to.

The reason why Saban proves himself right is this fact: The Houston Texans are picking No. 2. They need a quarterback worse than a pollen-covered jeep in the parking lot needing a car wash. It’s brutal out there, man. Factor in Houston driven by former Alabama star DeMeco Ryans, and Young goes there. The question is whether someone will trade even #1.

I think this is where it gets interesting. The Chicago Bears do not need a quarterback and are a prime candidate for trade. They can have a star defensive player somewhere in the top 10, win back more capital draft this year and next, while continuing to build around Justin Fields. The question is who can move into the first position and who will be in the market to recruit Levis, Richardson or Stroud.

We can certainly remove the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, and Philadelphia Eagles from the equation because they all have Pro Bowl starters in position. While the Detroit Lions could upgrade from Jared Goff, he’s fine and the Bears play in the same division as them. As for the Atlanta Falcons in eighth place, who even knows what they’re doing, to be perfectly honest here you all are?

Truthfully, I doubt the Carolina Panthers will go from ninth to first in the conference in a deal with the Bears to take Stroud because Frank Reich doesn’t do the short men. Maybe they could sit relatively still and have Levis anyway. Now we should turn our attention to two teams inside the top 10 that we should pay close attention to: The Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders.

The Colts are split with the Texans. Owner Jim Irsay spoke fondly of Young and that new coach Shane Station had great success with a shorter linebacker in Philadelphia with Jalen Hurts. Indianapolis has also been linked to Stroud, Levi’s and Richardson. They are the team most likely to move into first place in a deal with the Bears. Watch out for the ponies next month.

Then there are the invaders…

Like the Colts, Panthers and Texas, the Silvers and Lions are definitely in the market for a quarterback. While they might be an interesting fit for Lamar Jackson, they feel like the team that could hit No. 1 and project Richardson on positive aspects alone. Then again, they showed an affinity for Stroud and a love for Levis. They might be the least interested in Young of them all.

Ultimately, smart money is Young’s way first because it makes the most sense if you’re managing a desperate team. No one will blame you if one of the other three guys fails and thrives. Young has a high personality and a great football IQ. Even if he is the least impressive physically, he is the safest selection for the quad for mostly football reasons.

No one likes to be right more than Saban other than Mike Krzyzewski who made his career out of it.

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