Will the 2023 NFL draft run deeper at quarterback than the 2022 class? That’s the widely-held expectation after just one passer was picked inside the top two rounds of this year’s event, with a number of teams patiently riding out stopgaps and trials on quarterbacks who may or may not be their long-term answer. One of those teams is the New Orleans Saints, who haven’t committed much to Jameis Winston beyond this year. If he doesn’t show the development they’re hoping for in 2022, New Orleans should be in the quarterback market again in 2023. It’s up to Winston to play well enough their eyes don’t wander.
But one prospect to keep an eye on is Bryce Young. Alabama’s returning starter is on the fast track to follow his predecessors Mac Jones and Tua Tagovailoa as first-round draft picks. He finished the 2021 season ranked among the nation’s leading passers and has room to grow with another season leading the Crimson Tide. Odds are Young will eventually be drafted far out of the Saints’ reach (the latest mock draft from Draft Wire has him going to the Seattle Seahawks at No. 3 overall), but New Orleans could recoup the 2023 first rounder they traded early this year and then some should Sean Payton choose to coach a new team next year, bringing a king’s ransom to the Saints. So we can’t rule anything out.
And here’s an interesting thought from NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah, who acknowledged that while there isn’t a “clean comparison” here, one of the players he kept thinking of in evaluating Young’s tape was a young, Purdue-era Drew Brees. He said of their similarities: “Both guys lack ideal size, but they make up for it with elite processing and accuracy. I think Brees was a similar athlete at that stage of his career. They are pure point guards. The ball comes out quick and the placement is excellent.”
