With all the hype about this year’s rookie quarterback class, does it feel like people are ignoring last year’s No. 1 pick, Panthers QB? young bryce?
Texans quarterback CJ Stroud, the second pick in 2023, was the most outstanding player of last year’s class, leading Houston to the second round of the AFC playoffs. Meanwhile, Young and the rest of the Panthers put up the worst numbers in the NFL with only wins. The quarterback always takes the blame, whether it’s his fault or not.
At least one NFL analyst predicts success for Young, the former Alabama star and Heisman winner. NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks named his 2024 “All-Breakout Team.” The caveat was that none of the players on the list had been All Pro or Pro Bowl.
Young was Brooks’ choice at quarterback. He wrote:
“A disappointing rookie season led to a mass exodus from the Young bandwagon, but I think last year’s No. 1 overall pick can bounce back under new head coach Dave Canales. The quarterback guru just helped baker mayfield resurrect his career in Tampa; Now Canales can work his magic in another NFC South city, helping Young recapture his swagger in Charlotte.
“As the coach reshapes the Panthers’ offense to feature more quarterback-friendly concepts with better weaponry at Young’s disposal, the talented gunslinger could re-emerge as the blue-chip player who won a Heisman Trophy at Alabama and entered in the 2023 NFL Draft as the belle of the ball.”
There’s an odd symmetry between last year’s class of quarterbacks and this one. The Panthers traded with the Bears last year for the No. 1 pick and the chance to select Young. Carolina had the worst record in the NFL, so the Panthers would have had the first pick in 2024. However, their first-round pick was part of last year’s trade. So the Bears had a choice Caleb Williamsthat is now attracting so much attention while everyone wonders if he can turn Chicago around.
The Panthers suffered a tumultuous season in 2023. Head coach Frank Reich was fired 11 games into his first year in Carolina. Ten defeats will be enough for that. The Panthers hired Dave Canales, who had been the offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay. As Brooks wrote, it resurrected Mayfield’s career as a starter. Before the Bucs, Canales helped recover Gene Smith in Seattle after Russell Wilson left the Seahawks.
Because Canales now has control in Carolina, there is optimism that Young will find his way in the NFL. And the new head coach likes what he sees in the Panthers’ young quarterback.
“He’s curious and he really challenges himself,” Canales told Sports Illustrated. “He challenges himself to be great. He is not satisfied with the technique. He works at it to master it. He is very methodical in his way of studying, he wants to know what happens with the routes, he wants to listen to the information. I love the curiosity he brings to his work every day and he also has patience. He is open to trying things.”
The Panthers begin training camp on July 24. So we’ll soon have an idea of how much Young will recover in 2024.
To see Brooks’ entire list, click here.
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