Is Alabama quarterback Bryce Young draft-eligible?

Bryce Young certainly has the potential to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL but he won’t be the answer to an NFL team’s quarterback problems in the 2022 NFL Draft.

As Bryce Young and the rest of the Alabama Crimson Tide get ready for the Georgia Bulldogs in the national championship, some people are wondering if this will be Young’s last game at Alabama.

Young became the first quarterback in Alabama football history to win the Heisman Trophy. He earned his Heisman Trophy thanks to late-game heroics to win the Iron Bowl over arch rival Auburn on Thanksgiving Weekend, as well as torching the same Georgia team in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta. He looks every bit the part of a future NFL franchise quarterback.

Unfortunately for NFL teams that are in dire need of a new signal-caller, Young is only two years removed from his senior season in high school and thus, is not draft eligible. He cannot enter the NFL Draft until after the 2022 college football season. An NFL team can get its next star in 2023.

Is Bryce Young draft-eligible in the 2022 NFL Draft?

Had Young been draft eligible in this offseason, there is a chance he could have been the first quarterback take. He may be undersized, but he offers a lot of the greatness that made shorter quarterbacks like Drew Brees, Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson dynamic. Of course, he may be the next Baker Mayfield, a great college quarterback who is serviceable in the NFL but needs support.

So how high could Young go next year? Given the position he plays and the dire need for elite quarterback play in the league, he could go No. 1. However, he may not even be the first Alabama player taken in the 2023 NFL Draft. His teammate in outside linebacker Will Anderson becomes draft eligible in 2023 as well. He projects as the next Derrick Thomas coming out of Tuscaloosa.

If Young stays healthy and has a great 2022 season for Alabama, he is a lock to go in the top-five.

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