As Bryce Young prepares to become one of the top quarterbacks selected in next month’s NFL Draft, he’s turned to a familiar face for some advice as he goes through the process. While Mac Jones has endured some struggles between an uneven two years at the next level, the New England Patriots quarterback is the last Crimson Tide QB to go through the draft process.
Jones was selected with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, while Young is widely believed to be the first quarterback taken off the board come April.
“I talked to a good amount of guys to prepare myself as much as I can for the next level and for this process,” Young told reporters Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis via NESN. “Specifically, I was talking to Mac earlier this week. He gave me a lot of great advice about how to carry yourself, things that he’s learned from the years there.”
That @AlabamaFTBL bond.
Bryce Young looks to @MacJones_10 for advice on the #NFLCombine and #NFLDraft. pic.twitter.com/32RHKviNIy
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) March 3, 2023
While Young had an outside shot at starting as a true freshman in 2020, arriving in Tuscaloosa as the nation’s No. 1 quarterback prospect, it was Jones who outright won the job. Jones earned the starting gig a year prior (2019) after taking over for Tua Tagovailoa when the now-Miami Dolphins quarterback fractured his hip.
He didn’t concede the job to Young, instead leading Alabama to an undefeated record and National Championship. Young would take over for Jones after the latter was the fifth quarterback taken in the ’21 draft. While they only overlapped for a season, the impact Jones had on Young is clear.
Now, it’s only a matter of time before they’ll be facing off on Sundays.
