Bryce Young explains how Nick Saban and Alabama prepared him for the NFL
Yahoo Sports NFL Writer Charles McDonald is joined by Alabama QB and potential No. 1 NFL Draft pick Bryce Young to talk about his experience through the Draft process, what makes him so versatile as a quarterback, and how Alabama and head coach Nick Saban helped set him up for success at the next level.
Bryce Young joined Yahoo Sports on behalf of Courtyard by Marriott. Courtyard is teaming up with Bryce to offer 32 passionate NFL fans the chance to watch the NFL Draft from the best viewing area at Union Station—the Courtyard VIP Fan Zone located within the “Draft Inner Circle” presented by Courtyard by Marriott. To enter for the chance to win, NFL fans are invited to the Courtyard by Marriott Kansas City Downtown from 4-5PM CT on Wednesday, April 26th to enter the ticket giveaway via raffle and listen to an intimate conversation at the Bistro Bar.
Video Transcript
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CHARLES MCDONALD: I am joined by a very special guest, former Alabama quarterback, Bryce Young, who's joining us on behalf of Courtyard Marriott, but we'll get to that a little bit later. Bryce, first, getting to your actual game on the field, what's gotten you into these conversations where you're going to be one of the first players selected next week, if not the first player selected next week. Your capability, I think, is kind of one of these things that sets you apart from some of these other quarterbacks, not just in the draft class, but in the NFL. How is that a skill that you were able to hone, kind of staying calm while things are breaking down and under duress and still making big plays for your team?
BRYCE YOUNG: Yeah. For me, I always try to assess what the best play is for the team and not try to get deterred from that, from anything that's going on. Whether it's something up front, in the secondary, I try my best to get my reads and get through everything.
Whether it's from a clean pocket or having to maneuver, I still try to do my best to keep my eyes downfield and remain the passer as long as I can. And then ultimately make that decision of what's best, whether it's passing it, or it's running it, maybe even throwing the ball away. Just as consistently as I can be efficient with those decisions, that's something that I pride myself in and work on and still want to keep getting better at.
CHARLES MCDONALD: When you're out there, you're kind of isolated and there's a couple of defensive linemen chasing you. Do you ever hear Nick Saban just yelling in your ears, that are yelling in your head, the ghost of Nick Saban telling you not to screw it up here?
BRYCE YOUNG: No, no. In the media, you kind of see that hard and tough side of him, but ultimately, he's very supportive of us. He understands what it's like. He doesn't expect perfection from us.
Obviously, he pushes us to be the best version of ourselves, but he wants us to be able to play free and have fun while we're playing. He's actually very fun to play for. He's calm and he allows us to be ourselves. So I definitely don't hear any of those voices on the field.
CHARLES MCDONALD: You're early in your NFL journey, obviously, haven't gotten to the draft yet, but how has your time at Alabama helped you over the past four months as you prepped to get to this moment?
BRYCE YOUNG: Yeah, I think Alabama, you really take a professional approach about how you have to carry yourself on a day-to-day basis. It's on you, obviously, to get to places at the right time, to handle your business on and off the field. And then on top of that, just schematically, there's a lot that you're asked to do. From my position, and really all positions at the University of Alabama, being in this draft process and being able to talk to coaches, I've started to see some carryover and I've started to see a lot of similar philosophies. So I'm super grateful for kind of having that head start with being at Alabama.
CHARLES MCDONALD: As you're prepping for the draft and prepping for the NFL, what does the X and O's and the whiteboard portion of that look like and what things are you trying to learn from your college experience and add on to NFL knowledge as you get ready for this new journey?
BRYCE YOUNG: Yeah. I think, for me, I'm just making sure that I'm able to understand clearly everything that I did. Because in the moment, obviously, it makes sense, but you want to do your best to recall those things and not just being OK with your crazy way of thinking it, but being able to elaborate that to other coaches as well, to elaborate what your thought process was, how you approach things.
And I've done my best to try to take away from what they've had to offer and to teach and I'm excited to continue that mastery and keep knowing stuff. And I know that there's a lot to learn in the next level. So I'm excited to take that next step and start that process.
CHARLES MCDONALD: All right, Bryce, you're here with us on behalf of Courtyard Marriott. Can you tell us a little bit about your partnership today?
BRYCE YOUNG: Yeah. I'm super excited to be here with Courtyard by Marriott, the official hotel of the NFL. And we're really here to showcase the Courtyard VIP Fan Zone, which is inside the NFL draft inner circle. And there we're going to be giving away 32 tickets next Wednesday at the Courtyard Marriott in Kansas City downtown at 4:00 PM.
So fans should come by and check it out. My guy, Will, he's actually going to be giving away the tickets there. So it will be super interactive, a lot of fun, and it's a great opportunity if you are able to get one of those tickets, you'll be able to be at the draft and watch myself and watch everyone else in the draft class get drafted. It's a super big moment for me, and I'm looking forward to being able to share that with everyone who I can out there.
CHARLES MCDONALD: That's exciting stuff. Bryce Young, former Alabama quarterback. Thanks for your time, bud.
BRYCE YOUNG: Thank you. Thanks for having me on.