Getty Bryce Young at a 2021 Heisman presser.
The Detroit Lions are full steam ahead preparing for the 2022 season as the offseason has been winding down, but that doesn’t change the fact that the media is going to continue to talk about the future.
That future could involve a quarterback, or at least it could in the mind of several analysts thus far taking a gaze into their crystal ball to ponder what might happen come next year.
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One such person is ESPN’s Todd McShay. In a new Insider piece, McShay picked out players in a 2023 mock, and the Lions were slated to pick in the second-overall spot once again. Within that spot, the team lands Alabama quarterback Bryce Young within the mock.
As McShay wrote, the Lions may need to secure a franchise quarterback in 2023, and Young could offer the Lions a ready-made connection with Jameson Williams, which could be to Detroit’s advantage for their future given the duo paired together in college.
“And he clearly has chemistry with receiver Jameson Williams, one of the Lions’ first-round picks this year, considering nearly a third of Young’s 4,872 passing yards in 2021 went Williams’ way,” McShay reminded in the piece.
This isn’t the first parallel that McShay has drawn to Young and the Lions early in the process. Recently, he wrote about the team perhaps wanting to re-unite Williams with Young as a big time passing connection. Those numbers above show why that could be a smart move for the Lions if it is possible.
So far, that’s been a common theme for mock drafts no matter where Detroit picks.
Lions Could Draft a Quarterback for 2023
The Lions didn’t select a quarterback in 2022 after being rumored to be interested in the position through the process. The team didn’t so much as add a player to the mix from outside the building this offseason, re-signing Tim Boyle as well as David Blough. They didn’t invite an undrafted free agent rookie to camp as an arm, either, up to this point. All of this could show how committed the Lions are to 2023 at the position. Detroit will have a pair of first-round picks once again, and could be able to maneuver around for the quarterback they like. In Young as well as Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, the team could have a couple potential top answers lurking that make plenty of sense.
Many wanted to see the Lions go all-in at quarterback next year, and for those people, this 2022 draft was a win. Detroit got an elite wideout and boosted up the defense in a major way. If they complete the puzzle with a quarterback next year, the team could be on their way to bigger things as McShay and others seem to realize.
Young’s College Stats & Highlights
There is little doubting the fact that Young will be one of the top quarterbacks the team can look to select in 2023, but where he goes will be anyone’s guess. An improved Lions roster will likely have to be dreadful again in 2023 in order to secure a top pick, so they may have to maneuver up the board if they like Young. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, Young enjoyed a great season throwing the ball for the Crimson Tide, with a gaudy 5,028 yards and 48 touchdowns in just two short years of work. Here’s a look at some highlights:
The Lions could have incentive to be bad again with Young as a possible consolation prize to look forward to. Early on, that’s just what some folks are predicting to be the case for the team including McShay, one of ESPN’s biggest insiders.
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