ESPN: Panthers Never Told Bryce Young He'd Be No. 1, Left QB Hanging Till Draft Night

Reporters knew the Carolina Panthers were going to take Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick. Oddsmakers knew. Fans knew—or at least thought they did.

Young, on the other hand, apparently did not know until draft day.

"I was told this week was crucial for him because he actually didn't get a head start on this offense even though most expected for the last couple of months that he was going to be the No. 1 overall pick by Carolina but Carolina never told him that," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said Saturday on SportsCenter.

"They never gave him a playbook ahead of time, they sort of left him hanging up until draft night. And so, he did some cursory work in that meantime on Frank Reich's past offenses but hadn't dug in on the footwork, the nuances.

"That's why he showed up to camp this week early, I believe on Tuesday, to get to work. He'd done some Zoom calls with coaches already but he's trying to dig in on the nuances of everything. And even though the Panthers have come out and said 'Andy Dalton could be the starter right now, Bryce will eventually earn that spot,' most teams I talked to believe he'll get that sooner than later, enter Week 1 as the starter."

Given the Panthers had no teams in front of them in the draft order, it's a little odd they did not inform Young ahead of time or provide him with a playbook to get a head-start on his career. That seems like poor planning—or potentially hints that some behind the scenes were not 100 percent sold on Young being the pick until the last minute.

Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, who went No. 2 to the Houston Texans, was considered the early favorite to go No. 1 after the Panthers traded up to the top spot because of head coach Frank Reich's history of preferring taller, more traditional quarterbacks.

It's possible the Panthers were considering Stroud or Florida's Anthony Richardson, who went No. 4 to the Indianapolis Colts, far longer than many believed.

As it stands, Young went with the top pick and was forced to play a bit of catch-up. It ultimately won't matter in the long term, but it at least does speak to some potential hesitation behind the scenes.