Alabama's Bryce Young 'Most Pro-Ready' QB in 2023 NFL Draft Class, GM Says

One of the biggest storylines leading into the 2023 NFL draft is which of the four highly regarded quarterbacks will separate himself from the group, and Alabama's Bryce Young already has the lead in the eyes of at least one general manager.

"Young is the most pro-ready, we think," the GM said, per Peter King of Pro Football Talk. "But he doesn't have one premier trait. He's very good at a lot of things, but obviously he's small."

King noted Young didn't work out at the NFL Scouting Combine like C.J. Stroud (Ohio State), Anthony Richardson (Florida) and Will Levis (Kentucky) did, but he still measured at 5'10⅛."

It was the exact height Kyler Murray measured ahead of the 2019 NFL draft, and that didn't stop the Arizona Cardinals from selecting him No. 1 overall.

"I definitely didn't shrink anytime recently," Young said. "I'm comfortable with myself. I'm confident in my abilities. There's a lot of people who have paved the way for smaller quarterbacks. A lot of people have done it at a really high level. Drew Brees, Russell Wilson are guys that definitely inspired me a lot growing up. It's a good source of inspiration for me."

It's impossible to argue against the production, as Young won the Heisman Trophy in 2021 while throwing for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He followed up in 2022 by completing 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,328 yards, 32 touchdowns and five picks.

The Alabama product showed he can fit throws through tight windows, escape pressure with his legs and take over games in crunch time as one of the best signal-callers in Crimson Tide history.

Now the biggest question is whether a team that potentially falls in love with him ahead of the draft is willing to give up what it might take to move into the No. 1 pick to guarantee a chance at drafting him.

The Chicago Bears have the No. 1 pick, but they also already have their quarterback in place in Justin Fields. That makes them likely candidates to move that selection, and the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts both need franchise quarterbacks with picks in the top five.

If one of them is worried their division rival will take the signal-caller they want, it may motivate one to give up their choice and a number of future picks to take the player who has been described as the "most pro-ready" after a dominant career at the highest level of college football.

Chicago is surely waiting for the offers.