The Carolina Panthers made a bold move this offseason when they completed a trade with the Chicago Bears to acquire the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. With the first overall pick, the Panthers selected Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.
Young entered the offseason as the No. 2 quarterback behind veteran Andy Dalton. The Panthers said that he would take over the starting job whenever he was ready for it and weren’t putting a timetable on when that could occur.
Evidently, it was very quickly. Young was the No. 1 quarterback before the team even finished minicamp, quickly overtaking Dalton. Young was a standout for the Panthers during the spring and has continued looking good during training camp.
He has received more praise for his work, this time from Panthers head coach, Frank Reich. Reich compared Young to New York Jets star Aaron Rodgers, as he sees similarities in their games according to NFL Rookie Watch on Twitter.
Reich believes Young has a similar skill set to Rodgers as well when it comes to arm angles when making throws and how quickly they release the ball. In addition, Young has taken command of the Panthers’ offense and has been impressing people with his leadership abilities. He commands respect of the huddle, as everyone is silent when he is making calls.
That is some high praise for such a young quarterback who is only two weeks into his first training camp. But, Young was lauded for the intangibles that he brought to the table as a prospect and those are showing through in the early going with the Panthers.
Surrounded by solid talent with veterans at wide receiver and running back, the Alabama product certainly has a chance to hit the ground running during his rookie season. The Panthers certainly hope all of this translates to the field in the regular season as the NFC South is wide open and there for the taking.
