Bryce Young might be the first player taken in the 2023 NFL Draft. That's not preventing the owners of the seventh overall pick from taking a look at him.
The Alabama quarterback and 2021 Heisman Trophy winner is taking a Top 30 visit to the Raiders on Thursday, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported.
Young is currently projected to be the first quarterback selected by NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, who has the former Crimson Tide star packing his bags for Charlotte and joining the Panthers at No. 1 overall. NFL Network's Bucky Brooks, meanwhile, paired Young with the Houston Texans at No. 2 overall in his most recent mock draft.
Both projections are a handful of picks ahead of the Raiders, who don't have an immediate need at the position after signing Jimmy Garoppolo, unlike the Panthers and Texans. Las Vegas could be in line to select one of the other two quarterbacks considered to fill out the top quartet of signal-callers in this class, depending on how they view the class as a whole, if these projections prove accurate.
Many of the Top 30 visits end up being little more than a more intimate fact-finding exercise, and don't necessarily indicate which direction a team is leaning as the draft approaches. Barring a massive surprise, Young won't be available at No. 7 overall, meaning the Raiders would have to move up to select him.
Still, that doesn't discount the importance of due diligence. The Raiders are certainly doing theirs.
