Bryce Young 'Remains Poised' to Go No. 1 in 2023 NFL Draft, Execs and Evaluators Say

In recent weeks, there have been questions about who the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft will be.

However, Alabama's Bryce Young "remains poised" to hear his name called first this spring "in the eyes of many top executives and talent evaluators," per Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post.

"Young will go first," said one NFL personnel executive. "He checked the boxes he had to check. Measured 5'10". Hands are big enough. The Bears are trading out of that [No. 1 overall] pick, and someone is taking Young there."

Young is considered the best quarterback in the 2023 class, though at 5'10⅛", there have been some concerns about his size.

Alabama head coach Nick Saban, while seemingly taking a shot at Anthony Richardson, attempted to address those size concerns during a recent appearance on Stephen A. Smith's Know Mercy podcast (h/t al.com's Mike Rodak):

"We've all seen the 6'4", 225-pound guy that can throw it like a bazooka, but he can't make the choices and decisions; he can't distribute the ball; he can't throw it accurately. So who's the better bet? I'm going on history, production, performance, and Bryce Young's done it about as well as anybody."

Young had the best season of his college career in 2021, completing 66.9 percent of his passes for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 15 games en route to winning the Heisman Trophy.

He followed that up in 2022 completing 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,328 yards and 32 touchdowns against five interceptions in 12 games. He missed some time while dealing with a shoulder injury, which undoubtedly impacted his performance.

Young is one of several quarterbacks who could be selected within the top 10 of this year's draft as numerous NFL teams are searching for a franchise quarterback. Richardson, Will Levis, C.J. Stroud and Hendon Hooker are among the other top names available.

The Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans and Las Vegas Raiders could all be in the market for a quarterback come draft time, so it'll certainly be interesting to see who goes where.