Although it’s still too early to call Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young a bust, it’s fair to wonder if Carolina regrets taking him with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
On Thursday night, the Panthers lost 16-13 to the Chicago Bears, who were led by undrafted rookie QB Tyson Bagent, a former Division II star at Shepherd University in Shepherdstwon, W.Va.
“If you asked someone watching the NFL for the first time Thursday night which quarterback was the first overall pick of the draft, the answer would probably be ‘neither,'” wrote Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab. “But they wouldn’t have picked out Young. That’s a problem.”
In eight starts, Young has a 1-7 record, a below-average 33.1 QBR and has averaged 5.4 yards per attempt, last in the NFL. Scouts also note he’s developing bad habits.
“Plenty of blame to go around in Carolina, but the most discouraging thing is that Bryce Young is developing habits that we didn’t see from him at Alabama,” wrote ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Who do defenses fear when the Panthers break the huddle?”
Carolina lacks a true No. 1 wide receiver, and the Panthers O-line is 19th in the NFL in pass-block win rate (53 percent), per ESPN Analytics. Carolina (1-8) traded WR DJ Moore and a 2024 first-rounder to Chicago (3-7), hoping the 2021 Heisman winner would carry the downtrodden franchise.
The QB Carolina passed on, Houston’s C.J. Stroud, is a future franchise cornerstone. The second overall pick is tied for seventh in the league in passing TDs (14) and threw for a rookie-record 470 yards in a Week 9 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Plenty of quarterbacks struggled in their first seasons and went on to have successful careers. Young, 22, could do the same, but he needs to turn it around soon.
