ESPN insider updates timeline on looming NFL Draft decisions for Bryce Young, Will Anderson

When the 2023 NFL Draft comes around in April, two Alabama stars — Bryce Young and Will Anderson — could hear their names called in the top five picks. But even after the Crimson Tide missed out on the College Football Playoff, neither player has declared for the draft yet, and ESPN reporter Pete Thamel provided some insight on when those announcements could happen.

As Alabama gets ready to start bowl preparation, the question isn’t if Young and Anderson will declare for the draft. It’s a matter of when, and Thamel said it might have to come soon. After all, the Crimson Tide will get a few practices in before the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

That said, he doesn’t know a firm timeline just yet.

“I would think we’re going to know by the time they start bowl practice, right?” Thamel said on The Paul Finebaum Show on Wednesday. “The intentions are going to have to be declared. I don’t know the specific date on that, but it’s in the upcoming days here at Alabama. I think it’s going to be interesting, if we got to see Ty Simpson. They really like him there. It doesn’t sound like Alabama has been particularly aggressive in the transfer portal for some of these players.

“Look, Bryce Young has had a transcendent, unbelievable, Heisman-winning, decorated career. He’s been a fun player to watch. He’s got a wiggle and sizzle to his game that’s just been a blast to kind of see. … But we move on. I think as these cycles speed up, the bowls become a little bit of like a preview for next year, as they were five years ago, a culmination of this year. It could be that for Alabama. It might be pretty interesting.”

Both players are receiving plenty of hype in draft circles. Young, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, is shaping up to be the top quarterback off the board on draft day after another solid season at Alabama. In 11 games, he threw for 3,007 yards and 27 touchdowns as the Crimson Tide finished the year 10-2 heading into the Sugar Bowl.

Anderson is also likely to be a top-five pick after winning the Bronko Nagurski Award for the second straight year as the nation’s best defender, coming in as arguably the top defender on the board. He entered the year in the Heisman Trophy conversation, as well, and ended the regular season with 51 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks in 12 games.