If Bryce Young wasn’t already considered the Carolina Panthers’ top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft with their No. 1 overall pick, his move on Monday almost solidified it.
Amid widespread speculation that the Panthers were going to select Young with their top pick, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner reportedly canceled the rest of his pre-draft visits to other NFL teams.
The move seems to confirm what experts already thought: The Panthers have already told Young they will take him first overall on April 27th.
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Bryce Young #9 of the Alabama Crimson Tide reacts after throwing a touchdown pass against the Kansas State Wildcats during the fourth quarter of the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Caesars Superdome on December 31, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
However, this was not always the case. CJ Stroud from Ohio State seemed to be the favorite to go to the Panthers when they traded for a pick with the Chicago Bears. But Young’s name was floated more and more in draft rumors after the trade went down.
Young has already visited with the Panthers as well as the Houston Texans, who own the No. 2 overall pick.
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His measurements at the NFL Scouting Combine were of great importance because he does not have the prototypical build for a quarterback in the league. He was 5 feet 10 1/8 inches tall and 204 pounds.
For comparison, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who was taken first in 2019, measured the same height and weighed three pounds at 207.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young holds the man of the match trophy as he celebrates after the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football game where Alabama defeated Kansas State 45-20, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
“I’ve been this size, respectfully, my whole life,” Young said at the time. “I know who I am, I know what I can do. To me, it’s fair. Everyone can speculate, ask me every question. I’ll continue to control what I control. Can, will continue to work hard. . . . I believe in myself. I know what I can do.”
Young’s size hasn’t stopped scouts from placing him high on their draft boards, however, as his film and no-brainer knowledge of the game lead them to believe he’ll translate well to the NFL.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young looks on during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 04, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Stacey Revere/Getty Images)
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But as we’ve seen in the past, the NFL draft can be all smoke and mirrors until commissioner Roger Goodell announces the first pick. So, Young’s future in the NFL, although believed to start in Carolina, won’t be set in stone until that day.
