Can Alabama football star duo be NFL Draft's first two picks? Don't doubt it | Goodbread
Alabama football juniors Bryce Young and Will Anderson took the perfunctory step of declaring early eligibility for the 2023 NFL Draft on Monday, formally announcing with family present what has been relatively obvious for a year now. It was equally clear Saturday when they hugged out some goodbyes in the wake of a 45-20 Sugar Bowl win over Kansas State in New Orleans.
What's also obvious is that both are likely to be selected early in the first round, and as a tandem, perhaps even historically early. ESPN's current draft grades rank the Crimson Tide's star duo as the top two players available for 2023. Could the pair be the first two players off the board?
Don't doubt the possibility.
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Alabama has never had two of its players selected back to back at the top of the draft, and it's only happened three times in the draft's 86-year history. In 1967, Michigan State defensive tackle Bubba Smith and running back Clint Jones were the first pair from the same school with that distinction, with the Colts selecting Smith at No. 1 and the Vikings taking Jones at No. 2. In 1984, Nebraska WR Irving Fryar and OL Dean Steinkuhler went 1-2 to the Patriots and Oilers, respectively, and in 2000, Penn State DE Courtney Brown and LB LaVar Arrington went 1-2 to the Browns and Redskins.
That's it.
It's a mind-boggling rarity, and where Alabama's draft success is concerned, one that would put quite a feather in Alabama coach Nick Saban's straw hat.
By the time the three-day April event comes around, we'll have far more clarity on where Young and Anderson stand. There's a long way to go before draft values settle, from combine performances to personal interviews with NFL clubs (which both players will ace), pro day, private workouts and more. The needs of the NFL teams that eventually land the top two picks will dictate things to a large extent.
But for now, it looks like quite a match.
The Houston Texans and Chicago Bears are currently in the driver's seat for the top two picks. The Texans could certainly use a franchise quarterback reset in the aftermath of Deshaun Watson's exit, and Bears happen to rank last in the NFL in sacks with 20, so a pass rusher of Anderson's quality would unquestionably appeal to general manager Ryan Poles. There is always the possibility that a team could trade up and wreck the symmetry that Young and Anderson represent for the Texans and Bears.
Even for two elite talents like these, a lot of variables have to align for the rest of college football to be boxed out until pick No. 3. But for now, the pair looks like a legitimate threat based on their draft grades alone, and even more so based on which clubs are likely to be first in line.
It'll unfold in time.
And just maybe, it'll unfold like it never has before for the Crimson Tide.
Reach Chase Goodbread at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter @chasegoodbread.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Can Alabama football duo be NFL Draft's first two picks? Yes, they can
