Panthers land franchise QB in Alabama star Bryce Young

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

The Carolina Panthers have their quarterback.

After weeks of speculation without a definite answer, the Panthers used the top pick in Thursday’s NFL Draft to take Alabama’s Bryce Young, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner who becomes the Crimson Tide’s first-ever No. 1 overall pick.

Young, who turns 22 in July, was the player Carolina wanted enough to pay a huge price, sending the Bears the No. 9 pick, their first-rounder next year and second-round picks this weekend and in 2025, along with star receiver DJ Moore. His selection comes after an exhaustive six-week search that saw the Panthers send their top leaders to evaluate not only Young, but Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis.

Panthers coach Frank Reich recalled a team meeting before Carolina made the trade with Chicago, with general manager Scott Fitterer asking if there were any doubts about moving up to the top of the draft for Young.

“Scott proposes a question at the end of that meeting: ‘If we trade up, where’s our conviction?’ It was unanimous, with every guy in that room, from Scott on down,” Reich said. “Bryce was the guy. That was great for me to hear. … At the end of the day, there’s a lot of factors. We’re coaches. We’re scouts. We watch the tape, and when you watch the tape, Bryce Young’s the best player.”

Young comes to Carolina after a dominating two-year run as Alabama’s starting quarterback — he threw for 3,328 yards this past season with 32 touchdowns against only five interceptions, and that’s after a 2021 season where he threw for 4,872 with 47 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He’s the third Alabama quarterback to go in the first round in the last four drafts, following Tua Tagovailoa (5th to Miami in 2020) and Mac Jones (15th to New England in 2021).

Young was Carolina’s choice to lead their franchise despite persistent concerns about his size — at 5-foot-10 and 204 pounds, he will be one of the NFL’s smallest quarterbacks. He’s played at the highest levels of college football the last two years, facing a steady diet of NFL prospects in the SEC. If his on-field performance the last two seasons wasn’t enough, Young helped his stock this spring with an exceptional score on the S2 Cognition test, an interactive test that measures a prospect’s ability to process information quickly and accurately.

“He’s had such a prolific career, and he makes all the plays, every kind of play you want to see a quarterback make, situationally,” Reich said. “In the big moments, he makes the little throws, the big throws. They’re all over the tape.”

Alabama QB Bryce Young Highlights

Check out the spectacular plays made by former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young.

Young is the final piece in an impressive offseason for Carolina, which hired Frank Reich as their new head coach, assembling a talented staff that will now develop Young — senior assistant and former NFL head coach Jim Caldwell, offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown. They’ve actively upgraded their roster in free agency, signing running back Miles Sanders, receivers Adam Thielen and DJ Chark and tight end Hayden Hurst, along with defensive linemen Shy Tuttle and DeShawn Williams and safety Vonn Bell on defense.

The Panthers finished 7-10 last year, missing an unlikely division title by one game to Tom Brady and the Bucs. Carolina fired coach Matt Rhule after five games, turning their season around under interim coach Steve Wilks despite trading star running back Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers. With Brady’s retirement and no teams finishing with a winning record last year, the NFC South is wide-open, and Young will have a chance to be the first quarterback in NFL history to be chosen No. 1 and lead his team to a division title in his rookie season.

Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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