The Panthers ultimately determined that quarterback Bryce Young’s talent outweighed his number on a scale.
Young was the No. 1-overall pick Thursday in the 2023 NFL Draft and now will shoulder huge expectations on a slender frame that was dissected ad nauseam over the past few months because of susceptibility to injury and durability concerns.
Considered a historical outlier because he is both shorter (5-foot-10) and built slighter (204 pounds) than the prototype, Young is the first quarterback drafted in the first round since 2003 who weighed less than 207 pounds during annual NFL Scouting Combine measurements.
The Panthers traded Pro Bowl receiver D.J. Moore, a second-round pick (No. 61) and both their first- and second-round picks in 2024 to the Bears to move up from No. 9 to No. 1 in this draft.
Instead of hoping that one of C.J. Stroud, Will Levis or Anthony Richardson slipped to No. 9, the Panthers aggressively took control of their fate on March 10 to evaluate the top four quarterback options.
A consensus developed in the scouting community that Young should be the clear-cut top choice.
The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner went 23-4 as a two-year starter at Alabama, which has produced three first-round quarterbacks (the Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and Patriots’ Mac Jones) in the past four drafts and also can lay claim to the recently dethroned highest-paid player in NFL history, because Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts spent three years there before transferring to Oklahoma — Hurts was the highest-paid until Lamar Jackson reached a new deal with the Ravens on Thursday.
“The Bryce Youngs don’t come around very often where you get somebody that — doesn’t fit all the specs but — is supremely talented,” said NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, a former scout for the Eagles, Ravens and Browns. “I just thought he has the best tape of anybody in this class. Everything he does on-schedule, off-schedule, accuracy, poise, ball placement, play-making ability, being great in those big clutch moments late in games, managing games, all that stuff is off the charts.”
This is the second time that the Panthers have drafted a quarterback at No. 1 overall.
Cam Newton, drafted first in 2011, won a NFL MVP and led the franchise to Super Bowl 50 in 2015 as the highlights to a 10-year run over two stints.
Under the watch of David Tepper, who bought the franchise in 2018, the Panthers constantly have looked for patchwork quarterback solutions since Newton’s decline.
Since 2019, they used a third-round pick on Will Grier and traded three draft picks to the Jets for Sam Darnold, one pick to the Browns for Baker Mayfield and two picks to select third-rounder Matt Corral.
Those four quarterbacks went a combined 9-16 as starters, and only Corral remains.
Young should end the carousel ride.
He completed 65.7 percent of his passes for an average of 303.7 yards per game with 79 total touchdowns and 12 interceptions as a starter, but he didn’t pose much of a dual-threat by running for just 3.6 yards per carry with seven touchdowns.
“I think Bryce Young is the best pick and Stroud is probably the safer pick,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay said recently. “I’m not worried about the height for Bryce Young in terms of seeing the field and being able to locate receivers. He has proven like Drew Brees and several others that he can maneuver in the field and has no trouble seeing over offensive linemen. It’s just about his durability.”
Young makes the game look slow by deftly avoiding pressure in the pocket to extend plays, looking defenders off with his eyes as he goes through progressions and throwing passes to where his receivers are headed in their routes.
He didn’t miss any games last season, playing through a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder.
“Watching Bryce Young is like watching Steph Curry in a basketball game,” McShay said. “Size just doesn’t matter because they are so different. The way they process things so quickly and see the whole field, or the whole court, is so similar.”
The NFC South is wide open, with all four teams expected to have different starting quarterbacks than one year ago.
Free-agent signing Andy Dalton, who is 83-77-2 as a starter and helped the Bears transition to rookie Justin Fields in 2021, will battle Young at the top of the depth chart.
