Three Alabama players are among the 17 announced by the NFL on Thursday as being invited to and attending the 2023 draft.

Quarterback Bryce Young, outside linebacker Will Anderson and defensive back Brian Branch will represent the Tide in Kansas City on April 27. The three attendees matches Ohio State — which will send quarterback CJ Stroud, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and offensive tackle Paris Johnson — as the most of any school this year.

Young has re-emerged this week as the betting favorite to be chosen No. 1 overall by the Carolina Panthers, which would be Alabama’s first No. 1 pick in an NFL draft since 1948.

Anderson has widely been projected to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 if they keep that pick, and is ranked by ESPN as the best defensive player in the draft.

Whether Branch is selected in the first round remains uncertain. He was a projected as highly as a top-15 pick when he declared as a junior for the draft in January, but his 4.58-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine contributed to a slide in recent mock drafts. Branch is ESPN’s No. 37 overall rated player and has been projected in the late first-round to mid-second round range.

Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak.