Young, Anderson among Tide stars to go into draft
4 potential first-round choices at Alabama– quarterback Bryce Young, linebacker Will Anderson Jr., running back Jahmyr Gibbs and safety Brian Branch– revealed Monday that they are leaving school early to go into the NFL draft.Alabama coach Nick Saban stated,” There might be other men in the future who make decisions about what they do.” But Monday’s statement featured just those players.ESPN’s Todd McShay
predicts Young, a junior and the 2021 Heisman Prize winner, to be the No. 1 total pick if the Houston Texans get the pick. The Texans have a 55.7%possibility to pick No. 1, according to forecasts by ESPN’s Football Power Index.Anderson, who won back-to-back Bronko Nagurski trophies
as the country’s leading defensive player, is predicted by McShay to be a top-three pick.Anderson led the SEC in sacks(10 )and deals with for loss(19.5 )this season.
He likewise led the nation in pressures (50).2 Associated McShay jobs Gibbs to be a late-first-round pick. The former Georgia Tech transfer led Alabama in rushing(926 lawns)and receiving (44 catches)this season.Branch had 76 tackles(8 for loss ), seven pass breaks up, 7 pressures, six run stops and two sacks on the season.
He’s a projected mid-first-round pick.The players made the surprising decision to not opt out of Alabama’s game last week against Kansas State in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Young tossed 5 goal passes in the uneven 45-20 win.A former five-star possibility from Pasadena, California, Young spent his very first season at Alabama as the primary backup to Mac Jones, a 2021 first-round pick and starting quarterback of the New England Patriots.In his first season starting as a sophomore, Young. who is 6-foot and 195 pounds, tossed for 47 touchdowns and had 7 interceptions. He won the Heisman Trophy, led Alabama to an SEC championship and a look in the College Football Playoff Championship game game, losing to Georgia.Despite handling a shoulder injury and not having the exact same quality of receivers to work with as a junior, Young continued to stand out, passing for 3,328 yards and 32 goals with 5 interceptions. He also hurried for 185 yards and 4 touchdowns.Young hurt his throwing shoulder throughout an Oct. 1 win at Arkansas. He missed out on the following week’s game versus Texas A&M. When he did return, beginning every game the rest of the season, his representatives were handled in practice to restrict pain. Saban said there was no structural damage done and no threat
to Young’s long-term health.Saban could turn to backups Jalen Milroe or Ty Simpson as Young’s replacement.Milroe was the primary backup this season, beginning in Young’s lack versus Texas A&M. A previous four-star prospect, Milroe hurried for 300 yards and a goal. But the redshirt freshman was irregular as a passer, finishing 31 of 53 attempts for 297 lawns and five goals with 3 interceptions.Simpson, a real freshman and former four-star possibility, completed 4 of 5 pass efforts for 35 yards.Last month, Alabama signed the No. 4 -and No. 5-rated pocket passers in the 2023 class in Eli Holstein and Dylan Lonergan, respectively.Alabama, which lost two games during the regular season, directly missed reaching the College Football Playoff, ending up 5th in the final rankings.The Crimson Tide open next season in the house versus Middle Tennessee on Sept. 2
. The following Saturday, they will host Texas.