The Carolina Panthers rocked the NFL world on March 10th, moving up from ninth to first in the draft through a trade with the Chicago Bears. After weeks of speculation the Panthers decided that Bryce Young, the Heisman winning quarterback from Alabama, was the best pick for their rebuilding team. Now with a revamped coaching staff and group of players, it’s difficult to gauge expectations for both the team, and the rookie signal-caller.
Young’s New Situation
While the addition of Young was the most notable of Carolina’s offseason, he won’t be the only fresh face in the facility this year. He’ll be at the helm of an offense that added Miles Sanders, DJ Chark, Adam Thielen and Hayden Hurst in free agency.
Young will have plenty of tools to work with, which surprisingly wasn’t the case in his final year at Alabama. Regardless, he still put up fantastic numbers, and eventually led the Crimson Tide to a 45-20 Sugar Bowl victory over Kansas State.
The questions regarding Young’s transition to the NFL have never centered around ability, but rather concerns about his size. At the combine he measured in at just 5-foot-10, 204 pounds, raising questions about his durability on the professional level. Despite this, the Panthers took a chance on him with the first overall pick, and expect him to be the starter in week one against the Falcons.
Rookie Week One Starters in Recent Memory
In the previous three NFL seasons, only four rookie quarterbacks have started in week one for their new teams. Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, and Zach Wilson all became immediate starters after being top two selections, while Mac Jones got the week one starting spot despite being the 15th pick in his draft.
Burrow showed flashes of potential in 2020, but only led his team to two wins in 10 games before a season-ending knee injury. Lawrence and Wilson both struggled in year one, posting more interceptions than touchdowns and netting a combined six wins in 30 games.
Jones was the only one to find immediate success, as he led the Patriots to the playoffs in a rookie season where he outshined his fellow first-year quarterbacks. The difference here is that Jones entered a much more favorable situation thanks to being drafted later. Both Burrow and Lawrence took major leaps in their sophomore years after being surrounded by more talent, with Burrow even taking his team to the Super Bowl.
Young finds himself in a more unique situation than these rookie quarterbacks. The team traded up for him, meaning the roster should be more primed for success than those who found themselves at the top of the draft order purely based on performance. Additionally, he shouldn’t have to slug through a miserable rookie season waiting for offensive help, thanks to the aforementioned big additions in free agency.
No matter how talented a rookie quarterback may be, it’s difficult to immediately fix a struggling franchise. With that being said, Young is historically more well off then those who were simply implemented into a failing team with limited additions elsewhere.
What to Expect
With both the offense and coaching staff getting complete makeovers, it’s hard to place any lofty expectations on Young in year one. As exciting as it may be, it will likely take time for an offense that only returned one starter at a skill position to find their groove.
The name of the game will be patience as fans watch a brand new cast of characters learn to work together. The range of possibilities in Carolina is wide open with Tom Brady’s absence in the division. An NFC South title is possible, especially if this new group can click from the get-go.
Should things take longer to head in a positive direction, fans can take solace in development throughout the year. Young will likely face struggles as most rookies do. This grants him the opportunity to emerge as a leader for the team, and a necessary face of the franchise.
Pro Bowl edge rusher Brian Burns spoke on Young’s confidence in a recent interview, and said “it’s hard not to like that kid. He’s a good kid. Good guy.” This seems to be the consensus among the locker room and coaching staff. Young’s poise was a major selling point as a prospect, and it’s been heavily noted in his new environment.
Since Cam Newton, the Panthers have struggled to find a true leader at quarterback. If Young can develop while being just that, fans will have reason to rejoice regardless of record.
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Featured image courtesy of the Carolina Panthers
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1 Comment
No love for Alabama alumni, but I wish the lad well. The pressure will be intense.