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Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9). Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

NFL futures: The case for Bryce Young winning Offensive Rookie of the Year

By Griffin Carroll | Last updated 8/15/23

Next up in your individual awards is the Offensive Rookie of the Year market, and the logical spot to begin is the top overall pick, QB Bryce Young.

This award certainly isn't as skewed to one position like MVP is, but quarterbacks have still led the way, winning six of the past 12 seasons. Of the three QBs taken in the first round, I'm most optimistic on Young slotting in to have immediate success.

Bryce Young: +500 to win OROY (DraftKings)

The knock on Young, and the hesitation on some to project a strong NFL career, is his size. It's well-documented, but there's not much more to analyze there. Size be damned, this kid can play football, and the Panthers obviously believe in his abilities too considering the haul they gave up to move up to the top pick in the draft.

Young won the Heisman in 2021 and threw for 8,200 yards to go along with 79 touchdowns to 12 interceptions in his full two seasons as a starter. He's lauded for his accuracy, intelligence and anticipation, and to me that's all the makeup you need to be a game-changing quarterback.

So how does Young win this award? The last three QBs to take home these honors were Justin Herbert (4,570 total yards, 36 total touchdowns), Kyler Murray (4,266 total yards, 24 total touchdowns), and Dak Prescott (3,949 total yards, 29 total touchdowns).

Getting Young to nearly 4,000 yards seem paramount, and those touchdowns likely need to be near 30 as well. That's the one potential downside to looking here for our OROY pick. The Carolina Panthers supporting cast is in need of some better players.

Young's pass-catchers will be Adam Thielen, D.J. Chark, Terrace Marshall, Jonathan Mingo, Laviska Shenault and Hayden Hurst. It's not the worst group in the world, there's some NFL experience here, but it lacks a true WR1 to help Young's stats and production.

The buzz all summer has been that Young has stood out throughout training camp, and he wins this award if he can elevate this group beyond expectations. Hopes aren't overly high in Carolina, but I for one think the Panthers could make some noise. If Young leads an efficient offense that lacks a star and puts up respectable numbers to boot, he is as good a bet as any to take home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors at season's end.

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