CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback is set to play for the Carolina Panthers.
With a wealth of talent at their disposal, the Panthers chose to draft Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Now that the Panthers have chosen to go with the former Alabama quarterback, what should fans expect?
Established background
Based on his resume, Young entered the NFL Draft after his junior year at the University of Alabama, where he was the Crimson Tide’s starting quarterback for two seasons. Before playing for college football's most successful program, Young grew up in Pasadena, California, and was touted as one of the best high school football players in the country.
During Young’s first year at the helm, he guided Alabama to the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship, which Alabama lost, and was awarded the Heisman Trophy that year, becoming the first Alabama quarterback to win the award.
Young finished the 2021 season with 4,872 passing yards and 47 touchdowns with just seven interceptions while completing 66.9 percent of his passes.
In 2022, Young threw for 3,328 yards and 32 touchdowns with five interceptions while completing 64.5 percent of his passes. He finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting as Alabama won the Sugar Bowl, missing the College Football Playoff for just the second time in its existence.
Young chose to forego his senior year and enter the NFL Draft. Despite playing just two seasons at Alabama, he became the school's second-all-time passing leader.
NFL analysts say Young’s strengths are his calm demeanor, full-field reads, focus in big fourth-quarter situations, and his ability to avoid the rush. Conversely, his weaknesses are his smaller frame and lack of strength in deep throws, according to analysts. Scouts have compared him to Drew Brees.
Bryce Young through the years
Standing tall at 5'10"
Young has not dodged the concerns about his height. He spoke to NBC Sports about the topic and said "anticipation" and understanding defenses can negate the height issue.
“I think it’s a lot about anticipation, knowing where your guys are going be, and then knowing where the defense [will be],” Young said in an interview with NBC Sports' Mike Florio.
Questions over height plague just about every QB prospect under 6'2" but plenty of quarterbacks have found success while being shorter than the average starter in the league. Russell Wilson (5'11"), Drew Brees (6'0"), and Kyler Murray (5'10") are modern starters of similar height that have found success.
No. 1 choice
Despite concerns over his size, NFL scouts looked at Young as the top choice in the weeks and months leading up to the draft.
Young's dynamic abilities gave him the edge over other quarterbacks looked at as top picks in the draft like C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis.
By Tuesday, Frank Reich, the Panthers head coach, revealed the team had a "consensus" choice for the top pick, which many believed was slated to be Young.
The Panthers proved most people right on Thursday by selecting Young and hope the young player can lead the team back to winning ways.
