Panthers HC Frank Reich named QB Bryce Young his starter on Wednesday. We appreciate Reich saving us from having to read about a faux QB competition between Young and Andy Dalton for the next month. A two-year starter at Alabama, Young looks like a relatively pro-ready rookie QB. There are lots of questions in his WR corps. But Young's sneaky rushing upside could give him some QB1 spot-start appeal throughout this season.
Panthers No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young has been widely lauded for his passing accuracy. But sneaky rushing upside could be key to his fantasy value. If you remove yardage lost on sacks -- which NCAA stats subtract from QB rushing -- Young averaged 6.1 yards per carry in 2021 and then 9.1 per rush last season. He totaled 284 yards and then 313 yards in scrambles in his two starting turns at Alabama, according to Pro Football Focus. Young followed that with a 4.58-second 40 time at his pro day. That would rank 90th-percentile among QB results at the Scouting Combine. Young will likely need to scramble at least a bit more in the NFL than he did at Alabama. He averaged just 2.56 attempts per game there over the past two years. Even the largely immobile crew of Colts QBs -- led by Matt Ryan -- on Frank Reich's last Colts team averaged 2.78 per game. The 280+ yards that Young delivered on scrambles the past two years would have ranked seventh among QBs in rushing yards in the NFL last season. That level of rushing production would boost his fantasy floor and ceiling. Read more about Young's fantasy outlook and see where he sits in our 2023 superflex rankings. The rookie could turn into a value pick in that format.
Panthers QB Andy Dalton believes he’s still a top-32 QB in the NFL. “I view myself as a starter in this league; I don’t think there are 32 guys better than me,” Dalton told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “But this is the situation I am in, and I understand that. As soon as I don’t think I’m one of the best 32, or a little lower, I’ll be watching football on TV.” Barring a summer face plant from Bryce Young, Dalton will enter September in a backup role.
Panthers QB coach Josh McCown dismissed any concerns regarding QB Bryce Young’s size. “When you turn on the tape, you don’t feel that,” McCown said. “You never felt it. You look at all the studies and the balls being thrown over the middle, especially — that’s where you get into some issues (typically) — and his (completion) percentages are as high or higher than others in taller quarterbacks when we make several different comparisons with different players. So, at the end of the day, that really never entered into the evaluation as a critical factor, because it didn’t show up on the tape.” The Panthers are making Young earn the starting job over veteran Andy Dalton, but he shouldn’t be much of a hurdle. We currently forecast 17 games for the No. 1 overall pick.
Panthers QB Bryce Young impressed his new HC on the first day of rookie minicamp. “Honestly — I don’t want to overdo it on the first day — but he did every little thing right,” Frank Reich said. “The little throws out in the flat, the little bubble screen stuff, the ‘deep over’ (route) throw . . . just threw it with accuracy, saw it well, knew where guys were supposed to be — yeah, just showed complete command.” The Panthers not surprisingly aren't locking Young in as their Week 1 starter, but the rookie is the favorite to beat out Andy Dalton for that title.
Carolina selected Alabama QB Bryce Young with the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Young’s size (5’10, 204 pounds) garnered most of the attention pre-draft. Just note that he missed only one game in two starting seasons. (Young suffered an A/C joint sprain in his right shoulder last October.) The former five-star recruit wins both inside the pocket and out with an uncanny ability to feel pressure and deliver an accurate ball. Across two starting seasons, Young racked up 8,200 yards, 79 TDs, and only 12 INTs. In Carolina, he’s the heavy favorite to start Week 1 over Andy Dalton. A WR corps of Adam Thielen, D.J. Chark, and Terrace Marshall Jr. isn’t ideal for year one. But we’re optimistic about the QB’s long-term prospects.
QB Bryce Young weighed in at 5’10, 204 pounds at the NFL Combine. Alabama listed him at 6’0, 194 pounds, so the results are a mixed bag. “I’ve been this size, respectfully, my whole life,” Young said at the Combine. “I know who I am. I know what I can do.” He opted to not take part in throwing drills. But the tape shows Young as the most polished QB prospect in this class. Despite a slim frame, it’d be a surprise if he drops out of the top-5 on draft night. See where he slots in our QB dynasty rankings.
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