No one has ever doubted Bryce Young’s mind for the game of football—which is why this, one of the latest bits about the Carolina Panthers’ search for a quarterback, should come as no surprise.
In his new mailbag column from Thursday, MMQB senior NFL reporter Albert Breer was asked who he’d select atop the 2023 NFL draft if he was picking for the Panthers. This was his response:
I think Bryce Young. Everything I’ve heard about Young as a kid is A-plus-plus. His OC from Alabama, Bill O’Brien, told teams in the fall he’s never had a player like Young, and O’Brien coached Tom Brady. Scouts will tell you his accuracy, instincts, pocket movement, football IQ, competitiveness and toughness are all A-plus. I’ve also heard he absolutely blew away Carolina coach Frank Reich when they sat down and talked football.
Despite knocks on his 5-foot-10, 204-pound frame, Young has everything you want out of a prospect from the neck up. His football IQ, poise and improvisational skills make him the most pro-ready quarterback of this year’s crop.
General manager Scott Fitterer, in fact, has already echoed this sentiment. He told team staff writer Augusta Stone that Young was extremely impressive during their pre pro-day dinner in Tuscaloosa last week.
“He held court,” Fitterer said to Stone of their Wednesday night dinner. “He was so well-spoken, so well thought-out. When he talked about his preparation, when he talked about how he studies, how he sees the game, he’s at a different level. He’s already at that NFL level, which is great to see.
“Nothing’s too big for him. Like, he can walk into any environment and be in total control. At 21 years old, if I walked into a restaurant, sat around with a bunch of 40, 50-year-old men, it’d be a little intimidating. Instead, he just sat there and asked us questions. We asked him questions. … Just a really, really solid person.”
And in less than 30 days, that might be the person who gets his name called after we hear, “With the first pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers select . . . ”