The Carolina Panthers have made it official and selected Bryce Young out of Alabama to be their franchise quarterback.
Carolina was originally slated to pick ninth at season’s end, but last month they sent that pick along with a 2024 first-round pick, wide receiver D.J. Moore, the 61st pick this year and a second-round pick in 2025 to the Chicago Bears in exchange for the top spot.
That was the start of what became a pretty busy offseason for Carolina, who signed wide receiver Adam Thielen and running back Miles Sanders.
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Bryce Young poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected first overall by the Carolina Panthers during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station on April 27, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)
The Panthers used three different starting quarterbacks last season while also trading away superstar running back Christian McCaffrey, yet they remained in playoff contention until the very end of the season. But now they hope that the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner will be the guy for years to come.
In Young’s two full seasons as ‘Bama’s quarterback (27 games), he completed 65.9% of his passes (611 for 927) for 8,200 yards and 79 touchdowns as opposed to 12 interceptions. Had he not sprained his shoulder midseason, he very easily could have been a finalist for the Heisman again.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young holds the Most Outstanding Player trophy as he celebrates after the Sugar Bowl where Alabama defeated Kansas State, 45-20, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
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Alabama failed the make the College Football Playoff in 2022, but Young still managed a Second-team All-SEC nod two years after giving the Crimson Tide a national title.
Earlier this week, Panthers new head coach Frank Reich said he and general manager Scott Fitterer had a “consensus” on who they would select at No. 1.
In fact, Young reportedly canceled pre-draft meetings with teams not named the Carolina Panthers earlier this month.
Bryce Young of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs to the offensive huddle in the fourth quarter against the Austin Peay Governors at Bryant-Denny Stadium on November 19, 2022, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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Young will be throwing to Thielen, Terrace Marshall, D.J. Chark, and Laviska Shenault, and if Young lives up to his draft selection, the Panthers could be a contender quicker than most expected. They have not made the playoffs since the 2017 season, when they lost to the New Orleans Saints in the wild-card round.
