With the 2022-23 NFL season officially over, the attention now turns to the NFL Combine, college pro pays and personal workouts, ultimately ending with the 2023 NFL draft. The crown jewels and top three prospects of this draft are Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Ohio State signal-caller C.J. Stroud and Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter.
If it’s up to Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay, Young, the former Heisman Trophy winner, will fall to No. 4 and be coming to Indy. It’s more feasible that Irsay would probably have to move up in the draft to either No. 2, where the Houston Texans will snatch Young up if he’s there. Or even make a trade with the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 overall pick. Chicago has already confirmed that Justin Fields is their franchise QB.
Does Jim Irsay Already Know Who Colts Will Draft?
During the Colts introductory press conference for new head coach Shane Steichen, Irsay let his thoughts be known on the team’s unsettled quarterback position. Something he’s expecting Steichen, the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator, to fix.
“Knowing that we’re gonna have to find a young quarterback to develop is a key factor,” Irsay said of a main reason why the Colts targeted Steichen.
Irsay continued, “The Alabama guy doesn’t look bad, I’ll tell ya.”
That’s true, Young is an elite talent at the quarterback position and could change a franchise’s trajectory quickly.
Is Bryce Young Colts’ Much-Needed Franchise QB?
The Colts have been in quarterback purgatory pretty much since former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck abruptly retired in 2019 after a series of injuries. Since then the Colts haven’t had much success at the game’s most important position. This despite having a ready-to-win roster in most other areas of the team. That position was held together by former head coach Frank Reich, who in the midst of the subpar-to-bad quarterback play still managed to have a winning record while at the helm. But even his luck ran out, and he was fired during the 2022 season.
Not all his fault, as the aforementioned Irsay and GM Chris Ballard shoulder some blame as far as how they addressed the quarterback position. They have had some questionable draft picks and haven’t opened up the bank to grab a franchise veteran. Now it seems as if Irsay has his eyes on the supremely talented Young, who has all the tools, but his smallish frame is a bit worrisome. Young is listed at 6 feet and a rail-thin 194 pounds.
Young Has Drew Brees And Russell Wilson Traits
Similar in size to the future Hall of Famers Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. One prognosticator even said that Young reminds him of Patrick Mahomes. Young possesses some of the intangibles and knack for the amazing strike, things that made Brees great and still makes Wilson special despite his 2022 season.
Young is accurate and decisive. He’s also great when the play breaks down, making off-schedule throws all over the field. But it’s his understanding of defenses and processing of information that jumps off the screen.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. raved about Young during his recent mock draft reveal.
“Bryce Young is one of the best processors I’ve scouted over the past decade — he sees the entire field so well,” said the legendary talent evaluator.
That’s high marks when you hear that he processes information well. That means he has a real understanding of what the opposing team is trying to do to him defensively. And he’s able to trump them more often than not because of that innate ability that many signal-callers just don’t possess.
