NFC exec calls Bryce Young a ‘mental savant’

Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young impressed during his team’s offseason program, regularly drawing praise from his teammates and coaches.

Along with his physical capabilities, Young’s mental approach to the game has shown itself to be at an advanced level. During a recent appearance on ESPN‘s “Get Up,” NFL insider Jeremy Fowler revealed that an NFC executive went as far to dub Young a “mental savant.”

“I was told his mental aptitude has been as advertised,” Fowler said, via Dov Kleiman of BroBible. “That’s what he was known for during the draft process, as a mental savant. I was told with the Panthers’ offense is a hard install. It’s got shades of the Los Angeles Rams system from new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.

“No new quarterback bats 100 in learning it in the first month, but I was told he was pretty darn close to 100%. So, the Panthers really believe that as long as he has command of the offense, they’re in good shape. They don’t need him to be a hero because this is a really good emerging roster.”

Adam Thielen reveals what has stood out most from Bryce Young

Young, the Panthers’ first overall selection in April’s NFL Draft out of Alabama, wrapped up his first-ever NFL mandatory minicamp last month. Adam Thielen, the veteran receiver whom Carolina signed to a three-year, $25 million deal this offseason, came away most impressed with Young’s ability to move in the pocket.

“I think there’s so much talk about him. So there’s not a whole lot of surprise,” Thielen said. “I guess, for me, it’s probably been just his movement in the pocket, his kind of ability to, you know, get the ball out on time, but do that in a way that isn’t just like sitting in one stagnant spot. You know, sometimes it can be easy in this time of the year when you’re not getting hit, no pads on and things like that, to kind of just sit there and no fear and just throw it around.

“But you can tell that he practices like a game. And I’ve always been a firm believer that when you do that, it makes the games a lot easier. And that’s been really impressive.”

Can Bryce Young lead Panthers to playoffs during rookie season?

In a wide-open NFC South, coming off a season in which the Tampa Bay Buccaneers claimed the top spot with an 8-9 record, Young and the Panthers have an opportunity to clinch a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2017. Perhaps that will happen, but it won’t be without the typical growing pains every rookie quarterback goes through.

Mistakes will be made, which Young knows he must be able to overcome throughout a 17-game regular season.

“Mistakes are gonna happen. But that doesn’t mean we have to be satisfied with it,” Young said. “You know, we understand it’s a tough game. On offense, we’re going up against a great defense every day. And vice versa. We try to challenge ourselves, we understand the competition that happens. So we understand that mistakes are going to be made. But, you know, we don’t get complacent in that.”

“When those happen? We try to address them, we try to get better at them. Just because we know it’s gonna happen doesn’t mean that, you know, we can’t have urgency about it. I think, like you said, mistakes are gonna come. And it definitely hasn’t been a perfect OTA for anyone. For any unit, for any individual. But we understand that that’s going to be the case. But, again, at the same time, it’s on us to hold ourselves accountable.”