Raiders Reportedly Meet With Bryce Young Ahead of Pro Day
As the Las Vegas Raiders continue their scouting and evaluation of the top NFL Draft prospects in the 2023 class, they find themselves in a peculiar situation regarding their draft positioning and what they covet.
Alabama’s Pro Day kicked off on Thursday, and as always, the Crimson Tide has multiple prospects on display who will be selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Since 2010, Alabama has had 108 players selected in the NFL Draft.
The Raiders attended the Crimson Tide Pro Day with their eyes on one specific prospect. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Raiders have met with quarterback Bryce Young, who is viewed as potentially the best quarterback prospect and one of the best overall prospects in the entire class.
Being that Young is held in such high regard, he’s likely to come off the board before the Raiders’ selection at No. 7 overall. It’s hard to envision a scenario in which he falls into the Raiders’ lap, and they would likely have to make a trade-up to select him.
Nevertheless, let’s look at Young as a quarterback prospect and see if the Raiders moving up for him is a good investment.
In his career at Alabama, Young completed nearly 66 percent of his passes for 8,356 yards, 80 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He won the 2021 Heisman Trophy and played in the National Championship game in 2022. Young compiled a 23-4 record as a starter over two seasons, breaking multiple school records and winning numerous awards.
As a quarterback prospect, Young is proficient at nearly everything. He has a strong arm; he’s accurate, he can make plays off-script, and has a high football IQ. He also has natural leadership intangibles that make him appealing to NFL coaches and front offices.
The main concern with Young is his stature. He stands at only 5-10 and weighs 204 pounds, much smaller than most NFL quarterbacks. There are questions about whether he can throw over the middle of the field or withstand hits from NFL defenders at his size.
If the Raiders were to move up to draft Young, they could conduct a plan similar to what the 49ers did when they traded up to No. 3 in 2021 to select Trey Lance. They already had Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster, which allowed Lance to sit behind him and learn. Now, the Raiders have Garoppolo and could let Young sit behind him.
However, the stark difference in those plans is that Lance was a much more raw prospect than Young. Young is viewed as a quarterback ready to start in the league immediately. However, if the Raiders feel they can take Young and let him compete for the job, he either starts immediately or they have Garoppolo until Young is ready.
If the Raiders are looking for a franchise quarterback and believe it to be Bryce Young, making the move up a couple of spots makes sense and is likely worth the risk.
The 2023 NFL Draft will go from April 27-29 and be held at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period began at 4 p.m. EDT on March 15.
The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.
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