As Bryce Young prepares for the 2023 NFL Draft, he’s sought advice from his Alabama predecessor: Mac Jones.
The Crimson Tide quarterback said Jones, who navigated the exhausting pre-draft process two years ago before being selected by the New England Patriots, has been a valuable resource.
“I talked to a good amount of guys to prepare myself as much as I can for the next level and for this process,” Young told reporters Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “I was talking to Mac earlier this week. He gave me a lot of great advice about how to carry yourself, things that he’s learned from the years there.”
Young and Jones overlapped in Tuscaloosa in 2020, when the former was a heralded five-star recruit and the latter was an under-the-radar upperclassman who’d sat behind Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa.
Most expected Young to win the starting job that season. Jones beat him out, then proceeded to lead Alabama to an undefeated record and a national championship, turning himself into a first-round prospect in the process.
The Patriots drafted Jones 15th overall in 2021. Young should hear his name called even earlier. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner entered combine week as the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick.
