Will Young Prove Himself NFL Worthy in 2022?
Bryce Young inherited the starting position at the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2021 campaign with the weight of expectations. Mac Jones had led the Crimson Tide to the National Championship in the 2020 campaign before leaving for the NFL. Although Young was nothing short of outstanding on the field for the majority of the season, he was unable to rise to the occasion in the National Championship Game against the Georgia Bulldogs.
Due to the very high standards set at Alabama, the loss was seen as a failure in their campaign. Tua Tagovailoa and Jones were both successful at driving the Crimson Tide to the National Championship, while Jalen Hurts was downed by the brilliance of Deshaun Watson when the Clemson Tigers conquered Alabama in the 2015 campaign. Young was off the boil against the Bulldogs and has a point to prove amid doubters that he can elevate his game and become the first-overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Among the top betting sites for college football, the Crimson Tide will start the 2022 season as the overwhelming favorites for the crown. You will not find great value in the betting odds on Alabama to win the title due to their dominance of the NCAA, winning three out of the last seven National Championships. However it might be a prudent idea to look at all the odds and the bonus offers to try to gain maximum value out of a free bet or welcome offer. Alabama are backed at around +200, highlighting the bookmakers' belief in their stock ahead of the 2022 campaign.
Nick Saban’s men have been relentless, while the Bulldogs have been weakened by the loss of key players to the NFL. The Ohio State Buckeyes with CJ Stroud could provide tough competition, which will require another flawless effort from the Crimson Tide to conquer and reach the National Championship Game for the third season in a row.
Young the Key
Young achieved a feat that Tagovailoa and Jones did not in his first season with Alabama, he became the first quarterback from the school to win the Heisman Trophy. The 21-year-old was sensational throwing the ball downfield, notching 47 touchdowns to only seven interceptions along with a further three rushing scores. It was not all a case of Young and Alabama beating up on the inferior competition as he played extremely well in week one against Florida and then Arkansas, especially in the latter in a high-scoring game throwing for a school-record 559 yards.
The quarterback then excelled in the SEC Championship Game to conquer the Bulldogs, connecting with Jameson Williams and John Metchie to devastating effect. The contest was the high point as Williams and Metchie went down with injuries, losing the former in the National Championship Game. Had Williams been fit, Alabama might have been able to pull off the victory over Georgia.
The onus was on Young to get the job done without his primary targets, but he and their replacements were not up to grade. It was a valuable learning experience for the quarterback to take into the 2022 season. The loss will have been a small flag in the minds of NFL teams that he was not able to elevate his display without two dominant wideouts. The proof will come in the 2022 campaign.
What Can NFL Teams Learn?
Out of the last three quarterbacks to emerge from Alabama, Jones has been the only one to truly look comfortable in the NFL. He found himself in a good landing spot with Saban’s best friend in the business, Bill Belichick, with the New England Patriots. Jones was solid without being spectacular and was deemed good enough to reach the Pro Bowl, albeit as an alternate selection. There is certainly room for growth from the 23-year-old at New England.
The jury remains out on Tagovailoa at the Dolphins after his injury hit and average start to life in the NFL, while the same applies to Hurts at the Philadelphia Eagles. None have truly taken the league by storm in the same way as Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes in recent seasons. Therefore, NFL teams might be wary of Young’s performances. Is he really an unmissable talent or is he another product of the Alabama system? The 2021 National Championship suggested that he struggled without the brilliance of Williams and Metchie as DeVonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy, Calvin Ridley and Jaylen Waddle did for past quarterbacks.
Young has the chance to disprove that notion with a new crop of talent, proving that he can be a player in the mold of Burrow and Mahomes rather than Jones and Tagovailoa. The 2021 season shows that he has the attributes, but producing those electric skills in key moments will be required to prove to NFL teams that he is worthy of the top pick or the second-overall slot in the NFL Draft.
