2023 QB prospect Bryce Young gets compared to Saints’ Drew Brees

The New Orleans Saints may still have their eyes on the quarterback market and could be very interested in one young prospect from Alabama.

The Saints locked up Jameis Winston for the next two years, but if Winston doesn’t perform up to par, they may start searching for his replacement sooner rather than later. Instead of going down the expensive route of acquiring a veteran quarterback by trade, they may look to the draft to find a cheap but long-term solution under center.

Alabama’s Bryce Young stands out as one of the best in the 2023 class and has already received lofty praise from some NFL pundits.

NFL’s Daniel Jeremiah took a look at some of college football’s top players in 2022 and wrote very highly of Young:

"There really isn’t a clean comparison for Young. However, I see the most similarities to a young Drew Brees. Both guys lack ideal size, but they make up for it with elite processing and accuracy. I think Brees was a similar athlete at that stage of his career. They are pure point guards. The ball comes out quick and the placement is excellent."

Saints should keep Alabama quarterback Bryce Young on their radar in 2023

Alabama has previously produced a pair of former first-round picks in Mac Jones and Tua Tagovailoa, and Young seems destined to follow in their footsteps. Young set the Alabama single-season records for passing yards (4,872) and touchdowns (47) in 2021, and with another year of development, could see himself as the top-ranked quarterback prospect in 2023.

That would make him virtually undraftable by the Saints, who gave up their 2023 first-rounder to the Eagles, but New Orleans could have more draft capital in the form of Sean Payton.

If Payton opts to coach a new team in 2023, he’ll come at the price of at least two first-round picks which the Saints could then use to nab Young; Young is coming off the board within the first five picks or less in some early mock drafts, and in one mock he even lands with the Houston Texans at No. 1 overall.

The Drew Brees comparison is certainly flattering for Young and should up his stock even more. Per Jeremiah’s observations, Young has excellent instincts, makes good decisions, and doesn’t turn over the ball often, and athleticism-wise Young shares many traits with a Purdue-era Brees.

As NOLA prepares for life under Jameis Winston in 2022, the team may still want to stash Young in the back of its mind as a viable franchise quarterback target for the future.