Rookies making their NFL debuts during the 2023 season will be easier than ever to pick out on the field – and not because they’ll be the players who might look a little overwhelmed.

This season, each rookie will wear a commemorative patch on his jersey during his first game that reads “NFL PREM1ERE.”

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With the season set to kick off on Thursday night, 23 of the rookies on the NFL’s active rosters are players from Alabama high schools and colleges. Another 15 rookies with Alabama football roots are on NFL practice squads and might get the opportunity to play during the season’s opening weekend as game-day elevations.

That rookie list includes the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and the Carolina Panthers are counting on former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young not to be overwhelmed by his NFL debut against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

“It’s definitely exciting,” Young said on Wednesday about his first NFL regular-season game. “It’s a blessing to be here, so with it around the corner, it’s surreal. But at the same time, there’s so much energy and focus that just goes into the game plan, goes into trying to prepare to get ready. Us as a team, we’re on that mindset.

“Of course, I’m super excited, and it’s definitely a blessing to be in this situation. But, obviously, it’s a results-based business, and we want to have success, and for us to have that, we have to earn that, and that’s by locking in, grinding throughout the week, making sure we’re focused. Really, all my energy’s gone to that.”

Carolina coach Frank Reich said he has a short-term and a long-term outlook for Young’s debut. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner will be taking the first step of what Reich hopes will be a long NFL journey on Sunday, but he also wants the rookie QB to play well in a Panthers’ victory over the Falcons.

“The great thing about the season is when you dial it down to one game at a time, you’re trying to really tightly define what you’re going to do and why you’re going to do it,” Reich said. “And then you realize that over the course of a season and a career, you’re building pieces and a foundation to his career. …

“You can’t put all those pieces in place in one week, so we have to be patient. We understand you play a team like Atlanta, that brings certain things out. We’re going to try to do certain things on offense, so he and our offense, we learn it one piece at a time. And you really learn it best when you get tested and the crucible is the hottest and the heat of the game and it all counts the most, so we’ll be patient with that but understand the urgency to each week.”

The other rookies with Alabama football roots who were playing college football last season but are on NFL active rosters for the start of this season include:

· Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama)

· New England Patriots center Jake Andrews (Stanhope Elmore, Troy)

· Cincinnati Bengals safety Jordan Battle (Alabama)

· Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jakorian Bennett (McGill-Toolen)

· Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (Auburn)

· Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch (Alabama)

· Green Bay Packers kicker Anders Carlson (Auburn)

· Houston Texans wide receiver Tank Dell (Alabama A&M)

· Cleveland Browns linebacker Mohamoud Diabate (Auburn High)

· Los Angeles Chargers safety AJ Finley (St. Paul’s Episcopal)

· Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (Alabama)

· Seattle Seahawks outside linebacker Derick Hall (Auburn)

· Atlanta Falcons safety DeMarcco Hellams (Alabama)

· Detroit Lions defensive tackle Brodric Martin (Northridge, North Alabama)

· Arizona Cardinals linebacker Owen Pappoe (Auburn)

· Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Eli Ricks (Alabama)

· Denver Broncos linebacker Drew Sanders (Alabama)

· Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Tyler Steen (Alabama)

· Arizona Cardinals cornerback Starling Thomas V (Ramsay, UAB)

· Houston Texans linebacker Henry To’oTo’o (Alabama)

· Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Colby Wooden (Auburn)

· Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Byron Young (Alabama)

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE

The Alabama Game of the Week is the Philadelphia Eagles-New England Patriots contest on Sunday. Eighteen players from Alabama high schools and colleges are on the teams’ active rosters.

The complete Week 1 schedule (with all times Central and point spreads from Catena):

Thursday

· Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs (-4.5), 7:20 p.m. (NBC)

Sunday

· Arizona Cardinals at Washington Commanders (-7), noon

· Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons (-3.5), noon (WBRC, WZDX, WALA, WCOV, WDFX)

· Cincinnati Bengals (-2.5) at Cleveland Browns, noon

· Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens (-10), noon

· Jacksonville Jaguars (-5) at Indianapolis Colts, noon

· San Francisco 49ers (-2.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers, noon

· Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings (-6), noon

· Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints (-3), noon (WIAT, WHNT, WKRG, WAKA, WTVY)

· Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (-1), 3:25 p.m. (WBRC, WZDX, WALA, WCOV, WDFX)

· Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos (-3.5), 3:25 p.m.

· Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks (-5.5), 3:25 p.m.

· Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers (-3), 3:25 p.m. (WKRG, WTVY)

· Philadelphia Eagles (-4) at New England Patriots, 3:25 p.m. (WIAT, WHNT, WAKA)

· Dallas Cowboys (-3.5) at New York Giants, 7:20 p.m. (NBC)

Monday

· Buffalo Bills (-2.5) at New York Jets, 7:15 p.m. (ABC, ESPN)

CHECK OUT MAPS OF SUNDAY’S BROADCAST TV COVERAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.