Kansas City, Mo. (WGR 550) - While it was never set in stone until Thursday evening, the Carolina Panthers make Alabama quarterback Bryce Young the first overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Panthers turn to Young as the franchise quarterback going forward after trading up from the ninth overall pick to the top spot with the Chicago Bears back on March 10.
Young joins the Panthers after three seasons spent with the Crimson Tide, completing 65.8% of his career pass attempts for 8,356 yards, 80 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions.
The 21-year-old signal caller's best season in college came as a true sophomore, where he completed 66.9% of his passes for 4,872 yards and a whopping 47 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. That was good enough to earn him the Heisman Trophy as college football's best player in 2021.
This past season in Tuscaloosa saw Young take a step back in production with just 3,328 yards passing and a 64.5% completion rate with 32 touchdowns and five interceptions. However, the drop in production did not deter his rankings as one of the top quarterback prospects eligible for the 2023 NFL Draft.
Young will be in contention to step into the starting role with Carolina from Day 1 under the tutelage of head coach Frank Reich. He will compete in the quarterbacks room along with the likes of veteran Andy Dalton, third-year man Jacob Eason and second-year signal caller Matt Corral.
