Former Panthers star weighs in on QB Bryce Young

After a tough rookie season, many had more questions than answers about Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. However, former All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly came away impressed with the first-year signal-caller. 

During a Panthers event on Wednesday, Kuechly praised Young for his toughness, adding that the rest of the team around him needed to catch up. 

"He got up every time, walked off the field, never complained," Kuechly said via Joe Person of The Athletic. "Now we need everything else to come along." 

After Young faced heavy criticism during a disappointing first year, gaining the endorsement of all-time Panther counts. Furthermore, Kuechly has a point. 

In many ways, the Panthers set Young up to fail from the start. Given a supporting cast that included running backs Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders, along with veteran pass-catching options like wideouts D.J. Chark, Adam Thielen and tight end Hayden Hurst, Young didn't have much to work with, and it showed. 

However, as Kuechly pointed out, Young never made waves, brushing himself off whenever he got knocked down. 

Mentality alone won't make a franchise quarterback, but it will mean something if Young's standout skills in college can begin to translate at the NFL level. That's seemingly what Panthers first-year head coach Dave Canales is counting on. 

On a recent appearance on "Up and Adams," Canales said to find success in Carolina, he would lean on Young's poise and experience gained in big games while at Alabama. 

"Whether it was early in the season or whether it was later in the season against really good opponents, if you look behind the facemask, the eyes are the same," Canales said. "He's just cold-blooded." 

While many have already begun to write Young off as a bust, Kuechly and Canales seem to believe he's already proven to have the makeup to be a franchise quarterback, and it will soon shine through at the NFL level. Whether that belief comes to fruition or not, we'll have to wait and see.