Carolina Panthers selects Bryce Young in first round of 2023 NFL Draft

The Carolina Panthers are counting on Alabama superstar Bryce Young to be their quarterback of the future. That’s why they took him off the board early in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday night, picking him No. 1 overall.

During his time at Alabama, he cemented himself as one of the best quarterbacks in school history, bringing home the Heisman Trophy following a spectacular 2021 campaign. He’s been a remarkable player at every turn of his football career thus far, and he’ll be expected to do the same in the National Football League.

Young began his career with the Crimson Tide in 2020 as the primary backup to Mac Jones. He got his first year of starting experience during the 2021 season, and he didn’t disappoint. That season, Young completed 66.9 percent of his pass attempts, throwing for 4,872 yards with 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Young’s dominant 2021 season led to him winning the Heisman Trophy in a landslide, getting 684 first-place votes. The next closest competitor was Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who garnered 78 first-place votes.

Entering the 2022 season, Young was viewed as one of the top two quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft, alongside Ohio State‘s CJ Stroud. Young was dealt a shoulder injury during the 2022 season that limited him at times and held him out of an early October contest against Texas A&M. That was the only week Young was held out of, though, and he returned the following week against Tennessee and threw for 455 yards and two touchdowns.

Overall, Young completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,328 yards with 32 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He also added 185 yards and four touchdowns rushing. Young led Alabama to a 45-20 victory over Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl.

A former five-star recruit in the class of 2020, Young was ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the nation according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He played for one of the most decorated high school football programs in the country, the Mater Dei Monarchs, located in Santa Ana, California.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Bryce Young

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein broke down what Young can bring to the NFL in his recent scouting analysis of the quarterback’s draft profile. He noted that while his measurables are below ideal size, he’s had the advantage of working with a former NFL head coach in Bill O’Brien.

“Slightly built with measurables that fall below the standard for the quarterback position, Young’s talent and face-of-the-franchise potential could force teams to focus more on his game film and less on his size. Young has had the advantage of working with a former NFL head coach (Bill O’Brien) who understands the challenges facing a pro quarterback. He’s a full-field reader whose confident demeanor on the field oozes off the tape but never becomes unbridled cockiness,” Zierlein said.

Zierlein also noted was how poised Young was under pressure during his prolific career at Alabama.

“He’s thoughtful in where he wants to go with the football and keeps the turnover count low. The deep ball is nothing special and his drive velocity fails to stand out, but he has enough arm strength to make the necessary throws. Young is perfectly capable of extending plays both inside and outside the pocket, but teams will want him to stay on schedule a little more often as a pro passer. He’s poised in the face of both physical and situational pressure and possesses a full offering of intangibles that helps set him apart from some of the more physically gifted quarterbacks in this class,” Zierlein said.

On3’s Jonathan Wagner also contributed to this article.