Bryce Young details what it was like to take the field for his first practice in NFL

If Bryce Young wasn’t a professional before, he is now. The former Alabama standout participated in his first NFL practice earlier this week. Young was thrilled to see his dreams become a reality finally.

“I wouldn’t say it was much nerves today. More just being anxious and excited to get back out there. You go a couple of weeks without it, and you start to miss it,” Young said. “It’s just fun. I was definitely looking forward to it for weeks now, and, now that it’s here, it’s great.”

The experience can only feel better for Young with so much pressure off his back. On Wednesday, Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich named Young the team’s starting quarterback for the upcoming season.

While the announcement is huge, it isn’t a surprise. Young is the only player in Alabama history to throw for 3,000+ yards in two seasons. Moreover, the 5-foot-10 QB finished second in program history for career passing yards (8,356) and passing touchdowns (80), earning the 2021 Heisman Trophy.

The Carolina Panthers selected Young with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Although his home is hundreds of miles away, the California native is thrilled to be a Panther.

“Being out here in a new environment, an amazing environment, with amazing fans coming out, supporting the energy out here is definitely different,” Young said.

Get used to it. Young certainly isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Last week, the franchise struck a four-year, fully guaranteed $37.96 million contract, including a nearly $24.6 million signing bonus Young will collect upfront. Young isn’t afraid of the pressure of such a big deal.

“Lofty expectations aren’t something new,” Young said, per ESPN. “I took the same approach in college. I’ve always taken the same approach. I’ve had experience taking the same approach to whatever expectations are. Whatever people are talking about, it is what it is.

“It’s stuff that I can’t control, and making sure that my teammates, my coaches, what we set in the building, that’s who I listen to. That’s the expectations that we come up with together and build together as a team, and sticking to that. I’ve had experience doing that in the past. So it’ll be obviously a different level of different challenges, but I’ll keep the same mindset.”

Hopefully for the Panthers, Young’s mindset will wield the same results as it has in the past. Carolina went 7-10 last season, it’s fifth losing season in a row. Watch Young attempt to turn the tide in Carolina on Sept. 10 when the Panthers take on the Atlanta Falcons in their season opener.