After making a massive move up to the top overall pick in March, the Carolina Panthers secured their franchise quarterback by selecting Bryce Young. Panthers fans should be ecstatic about landing Young as the Alabama star has lit up college football for the past two seasons.
Throughout the process, the other top quarterback prospects such as C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson were rumored as potential options to be the first pick.
There were legitimate arguments for both Stroud and Richardson to be the pick here. Stroud was the favorite to be the pick for the Panthers at one point due to his accuracy and the upside that he showcased in the Georgia game. Meanwhile, Richardson was also someone mocked to the Panthers due to his upside with his combination of athleticism, arm strength, and pocket presence.
While Stroud and Richardson are good prospects, Young was still absolutely the correct choice for the Panthers.
What Bryce Young Brings to the Table For the Panthers
While his size at just 5-foot-10 ⅛, 204 pounds is concerning, he checks off the rest of the boxes that you want to see out of a quarterback prospect.
From an intangibles perspective, he’s exactly what you want out of a quarterback. He has leadership skills as he was a two-time captain at Alabama. He’s also someone who stays poised in big moments, which is important in a league with a lot of games coming down to one final drive.
One of the main components to a quarterback’s game translating to the NFL is accuracy and Young checks that box. He displayed accuracy to all levels of the field at Alabama and has the arm strength to air out deep balls.
The biggest thing that separates Young from the rest of the quarterbacks in this class is his ability to create outside of structure. He does an excellent job of dealing with pressure but stepping up in the pocket when necessary or escaping the pocket to buy time for his receivers to separate downfield.
How Soon Can Bryce Young Start?
Most of the time, the first-overall pick in the NFL Draft is forced into action due to the terrible state of the roster. Fortunately, the Panthers don’t have that issue. They traded up from the ninth-overall pick, which shows that this team has some talent to work with. Additionally, the team also signed Andy Dalton in the offseason, so they have a proven quarterback capable of handling the reigns while Bryce Young learns the game.
Dalton is a good bridge quarterback, but there is a very real chance Young is ready to start from Day 1 anyways. The Alabama product has an advanced football IQ and shouldn’t need too much time to adjust to the speed of the NFL game. From a physical tools standpoint, Young blows Dalton out of the water, so unless the Panthers deliberately want to bring him along slowly, look fro Bryce Young to be under center when Carolina kicks off their season.
Ultimately, Bryce Young is the safest bet of all the quarterbacks to at least develop into a solid starter in the NFL and his upside is high as well. Panthers fans should be excited as they have their new face of the franchise.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
