Panthers select Alabama QB Bryce Young first overall in 2023 NFL Draft
Bryce Young's elite playmaking ability ended up being too much for Carolina to overlook. On Thursday, the Panthers selected Young first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
SI's Albert Breer was on the scoop earlier in the day.
Of the QBs in this year's class, Young demonstrated the best playmaking ability of them all. New QB coach Josh McCown dissected his play earlier this year on the Underdog Fantasy Football YouTube channel prior to accepting his position with the Panthers.
McCown noted Young's unique skill set, noting that he does stuff on the field that simply can't be taught and are the kinds of things the best QBs in the NFL are able to do.
On arguably his best play last season, Young showcased his singular abilities with a magical escape against a great LSU pass rush and delivered a deep strike for a go-ahead score.
When analyzing another play against LSU when the pocket dissolved and Young evaded pressure, McCown said this:
"This is going to be part of his world next year, OK. As he moves into the NFL, inheriting being a top-five pick ... probably with a bad football team, a team that's rebuilding, a team that's trying to grow. And so, there may be issues like this."
By trading for the No. 1 pick, Carolina isn't as terrible as most teams drafting first typically are. The Panthers were 7-10 a year ago, one game back of Tampa Bay for first in the NFC South.
The team added veterans including wide receivers Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark, tight end Hayden Hurst and running back Myles Sanders via free agency earlier this offseason to help lighten the load on Young's shoulders.
The one knock against Young is his size — he measured as 5-foot-10 at the combine — and his ability to withstand the rigors of a full NFL season will be something to monitor as he makes the transition to the pros. But if durability isn't an issue, Young could quickly become the best QB in the NFC South.
He has more upside than Desmond Ridder (Atlanta) and Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask (Tampa Bay) and can be a bigger matchup nightmare than Derek Carr (New Orleans).
It's up to head coach Frank Reich and position coach McCown to wring the most out of their new QB with all the potential in the world.
Per Stathead, Young is the second QB selected first overall by the Panthers and the third to be drafted in the first round. Carolina selected former MVP Cam Newton as the No. 1 pick in 2011 and Kerry Collins fifth overall in 1995, its inaugural season.
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