The 2023 NFL Draft takes place April 27-29 this year, emanating LIVE from Kansas City, Missouri. As it stands, the Tennessee Titans have one first round draft pick. New general manager Ran Carthon and head coach Mike Vrabel currently hold the 11th overall selection. Over the next couple of months, I’ll be taking a look at some of the prospects who are either rumored to be tied to, have met with, who make sense for the Titans, or who are for some reason being mocked to the Titans even though they don’t really have a need at the position. Whatever – there are no rules here. Today, we’re lookin’ at Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.
In all of the years I’ve been writing this ‘Titans First Round Options’ series, 2023 feels like the first year that the Titans are really in a good position to be considering the next chapter in the franchise’s quarterback history. Ryan Tannehill is due a hefty amount of cash (unless the Titans sign and extend him, but for the purposes of this post, that’s no fun to think about), and the Titans were recently rumored to have been checking in with the Chicago Bears on what they’d want for that first overall pick. Sure, it could simply be a new GM doing his due diligence, checking boxes, and crossing options off of his list. But, exploring the possibility of landing the next franchise quarterback makes too much sense for the Titans to not at least kick the tires on it. If they’re willing to give up the draft capital required to move up to #1 overall, Young would be a fine candidate to draft.
Young has the pedigree of a champion, exiting Alabama with a Heisman Trophy, All-American honors, a couple of ‘Player of the Year’ awards, some game MVPs, and a number of other awards under his belt. Alabama was 23-4 in games he started in 2021 and 2022. His final college stat line reads 8,356 yards, a completion percentage of 65.8%, 80 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a passer rating of 165.0. Yeah – he’s an accomplished guy at the highest level of college football.
If I were to sum up Young’s game in a single word, it’d probably be “polished.” Maybe “poise.” But, of the quarterbacks in this year’s class, I truly believe he is the most NFL-ready. His processing ability from the neck up is what makes him a strong candidate to start from Week 1 more so than any other quarterback in this class. His tape is littered with demonstrations of his ability to process defenses on the field, go through his progressions, and hold a firm command of his playbook. I dare say his “arm talent” is being a little underrated – he can make every NFL throw in the book accurately. His threat as a rusher was underutilized at Alabama. It was one of the reasons Tide fans were most excited to have successfully recruited Young to Tuscaloosa, but it rarely showed up on the film. There’s some untapped potential there, but even the mobility we saw was highly effective. Young has this fluid nature to his game – he effortlessly moves around inside the pocket to extend plays. But, he’s also able to get outside the pocket and make accurate reads and throws on the run. He’s even-keel, calm, cool, and collected no matter what. Hell, I dare say he’s borderline stoic.
As for weaknesses, the conversation really comes down to his size. I haven’t seen a lot of valid criticism for other aspects of his game. If Young was 6’5″, teams would be giving up their next six first round picks to get him. There’s some debate about his actual size, and I’m sure we’ll unfurl all of that throughout the draft process…but he’s listed at about six feet, 194 pounds. I’ve heard the “can’t see over the offensive line” critique and that’s just dumb. Wtf do you guys think he was playing behind at Alabama? 5’0″ offensive linemen? Come on. The more valid concern is how that frame will hold up with the up tic in speed, aggression, and physicality in the NFL. Young’s camp has said that they’re going to try and get him to 215-220lbs this spring. Maybe that helps his case.
Young is a terrific fit with the Titans from a philosophical standpoint. Between Vrabel wanting to “keep the good plays” from what worked in last year’s Titans offense, promoting Tim Kelly to offensive coordinator, and bringing in new ideas from coaches like Charles London and Justin Outten, it would benefit them to have a heady quarterback that can process information quickly and accurately deliver the ball. To me, if they were to somehow land Young in this year’s draft, he could be the cornerstone of this franchise for years to come. There’s just one catch, and it’s a big one. Holy shit. If you are worried about Young’s frame, this is absolutely not the offensive line to put him behind. In an offseason during which the Titans will need to retool at multiple positions across the board, it’s hard to imagine they could give up the draft capital it’d take to trade up for Young and still have enough resources to completely rebuild the offensive line to a point where the young signal-caller isn’t getting blasted into another dimension every other play. Theoretically, if you can sort that out, you have a guy who plays with great instincts, he can be efficient or he can be dynamic based on the situation, and he can absolutely manufacture splash plays.
Further Reading: Bryce Young, Will Anderson discuss choice to play Sugar Bowl
If you’re not already, be sure to subscribe to A to Z Sports Film Room on YouTube, and don’t miss any of James Foster’s work this draft season. He’s an absolute must-follow.
2023 Titans First Round Options
- Coming soon
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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