Bryce Young Praised for '10 Out of 10' Command by Panthers' Reich at 1st Day of OTAs

Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich was pleased with what he saw from top overall pick Bryce Young after the team's first spring practice on Monday, calling his command "10 out of 10."

"Just complete command, control, poise," he told reporters. "You could tell the way he was seeing it, the way he was working through progressions, accuracy in the throw, ball placement of the throw, it was all very good."

That's good news for the Panthers, who banked their future on the former Alabama quarterback at this year's NFL draft, trading the Nos. 9 and 61 picks, a 2024 first-rounder, a 2025 second-rounder and wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Chicago Bears in exchange for the top overall selection.

It was a serious price to pay, and a reminder of just how costly Young will be if he's a bust.

But in Reich—a former NFL quarterback himself who has worked with players like Philip Rivers, Andrew Luck and Carson Wentz during his coaching career—and veteran backup Andy Dalton, who is entering his 13th year, Young has excellent resources at his disposal.

"It's really good for Bryce to kind of see Andy handle things the way he's handled things," Reich said. "And, obviously, Bryce has picked it up extremely fast. But it feels like we've got a good plan and we're doing the right thing."

They aren't the only mentors he's picked up early in his career. Young also had the opportunity to meet Tom Brady for a lunch meeting over the weekend in Los Angeles with several other rookie quarterbacks and told reporters he took a lot away from the experience:

"Yeah, there were a lot of gems, a lot of nuggets that I was able to take away. I was able to ask him some questions about his career, kind of his mindset going towards it. And for me, obviously being a young quarterback, I wanted to know things that he wishes he knew at this age, things that he felt like were key for him to have success. I think that's something that's pretty invaluable."

"So I'm going to keep it to who was in that room, but I definitely took away a lot. Being able to talk to one of the greatest to ever do it is a huge honor and privilege. So I was very grateful for that."

It's early in Young's career, but so far he's saying the right things and—at least according to his head coach—is looking pretty great out on the practice field, too.