Getty According to CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson, Bryce Young would be getting Trevor Lawrence levels of hype if he was bigger
According to CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson during his latest 2023 NFL Draft Top 25 Big Board, Bryce Young would be getting Trevor Lawrence-level hype ahead of the 2023 NFL draft if he was bigger.
Wilson had Young as his No. 1 selection but painted a bleak picture of how players with his size have done. “When you look at the list of NFL quarterbacks who measured 6 feet or under and weighed less than 200 pounds at the combine these are the five names that qualify: Joe Hamilton, Seneca Wallace, Marcus Vick, Pat White and Kellen Moore,” he wrote. “That’s it.”
Wilson came around with his defense of Young, though, saying that he’d be as celebrated of a prospect as the 2021 No. 1 overall pick out of Clemson. “The difference, of course, is that he is a special player with special talents that were on display every week in the fall,” he wrote. “Put another way: If Young were, say, 6-3, 220 pounds, we’d be talking about him in the same way we discussed Trevor Lawrence coming out of Clemson.”
Will Anderson Compared to Past NFL Linebacking Greats
Wilson’s adulation for Alabama prospects wasn’t confined to just Young — the CBS Sports writer also praised former Crimson Tide linebacker Will Anderson, who he compared to several NFL linebacking greats.
“Yeah, he wasn’t quite as dominant in 2022 as he was in 2021, but he’s a great teammate, and even better person, and is the type of pass rusher who deserves to be in the same pre-draft conversation as Nick Bosa, Chase Young and Aidan Hutchinson during their respective drafts,” Wilson wrote.
As Wilson notes, the media often finds something wrong with a player, but Anderson doesn’t have anything obvious to point at. “We once had a scout tell us there doesn’t have to be something wrong with a player,” he wrote. “That doesn’t mean the media won’t come up with something from the end of the college season until the actual draft but for a player like Anderson, it’s hard to find something lacking in his game.”
Brian Branch Praised For Trustworthiness
Brian Branch was the third Alabama draft prospect Wilson included in his Top 25 Big Board, which had Alabama tied with Georgia for the most prospects on the list of any school.
Wilson’s assessment of Branch was that he was versatile and trustworthy considering the amount of playing time all over the field he received. “One of the best players on Alabama’s entire roster last season, Branch lined up primarily in the slot, but you can put him anywhere on the field and he’ll have success,” he wrote. “Think about this: Nick Saban is known for a) running complex defensive schemes and b) being a very demanding coach. He trusted Branch enough to play him 768 snaps in 2022 after having him on the field for 624 snaps the year before.”
Running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who amassed 1,370 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground and through the air in 2022, was included in the “Players who just missed the Top 25” section of Wilson’s Big Board.