Did Nick Saban Throw Shade at an NFL Draft Prospect?

Did Nick Saban throw shade at a 2023 NFL Draft prospect?

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The Alabama football head coach was a guest on Stephen A Smith's podcast Know Mercy.

During the interview, he was asked about former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young's height which has been a major topic of discussion in the last two weeks.

"I think history is the best indicator of what the future is going to bring," said Saban. "And Bryce is not ideal height that NFL folks would like to see for that particular position at quarterback. But I think Bryce has played extremely well. He has no history of being injury prone."

The seven-time national champion went on to detail Young's shoulder injury and why he will still be a successful quarterback in the league.

"Cause the SEC, there's a lot of folks in the SEC that end up playing in the NFL, and he plays against those guys every week," said Saban. "And he's never had a problem with injuries and the only one that he had a problem with was self inflicted, because when he was throwing ball away at the last minute, he's diving on the ground. He's already sacked, he should just go down and now he pulls his shoulder up. But I don't think it's an issue I think you have to look at each individual player. This guy plays quarterback like a point guard and basketball. He's got eyes and all over, he knows where everybody is. He can extend plays. He creates throwing lanes for himself which is important for a guy his size. He can make all the throws, he's smart. So he has a lot of the the attributes from a psychological disposition standpoint that are necessary to excel at this position."

Then, he seems to throw shade at a draft prospect. Although it is not confirmed, social media speculates that it was about former Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, who has been put above Young in a recent mock draft that went viral. 

We've all seen the 6-foot-4, 225 lb guy that can throw it like a bazooka," said Saban. "But he can't make the choices and decisions, he can't distribute the ball, he can't throw it accurately. So who's who's the better bet? I'm going on history, production performance, and you know, Bryce Young's learned about as well as anybody."

So, what do you think? Did Saban throw in a jab or was it accidental?