Panthers' Bryce Young Talks Rookie Season, Criticism and More in B/R Interview

Bryce Young is already emerging as one of the NFL's brightest rising stars despite not having suited up in a single game for the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers selected Young with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, moving up in a trade with the Chicago Bears to land who they hope will be their quarterback of the future.

Young was a standout, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback at Alabama, and he became the first Crimson Tide signal-caller not only to take home the award as the most outstanding player in college football, but the first player in school history in the common era to be picked No. 1 overall.

Carolina's decision to pick Young over C.J. Stroud, who was selected by the Houston Texans with the No. 2 overall pick, was heavily criticized by fans and pundits alike due to the Alabama product's 5'10", 204-pound stature.

Young is a short king by NFL standards for quarterbacks—the average height of an NFL signal-caller is 6'2"—but he doesn't care about criticism of his size.

"I think for me, I've always kind of focused on what I can control, really in all aspects of my life. That's something I definitely believe in and trying to control what I can control and focus on that and put my energy towards that," Young told Bleacher Report. "People's opinions about me or what people say is something I can't control and honestly, I feel like everyone is entitled to their opinion. I think that's the beauty of sports. Everyone gets to put their two cents in and have a conversation about it.

"Honestly, I'm grateful that people take the time out of their days to have an opinion and to invest in the Panthers and the team and the NFL because it's people being passionate about it, which I'm super grateful for."

Criticism aside, the 2023 draft at Union Station in Kansas City was a big night for Young and many of the NFL's top rookies, and it's one they surely won't forget, but Lowe's is making sure of that by giving the draftees a piece of the very stage they walked across in celebration of the company's renewal of its partnership with the league.

Lowe's, an official community partner of the NFL, hand-selected pieces of the 2023 draft stage it helped build to create commemorative, authentic keepsakes for Young and some of the other top picks, and the new Panthers quarterback is grateful for the gift of a lifetime.

"The NFL draft night for me and all the rookies is a night that we'll never forget and we'll always hang on to and it's such a great memory," Young said. "But Lowe's was actually gracious enough to get pieces of the actual NFL draft stage that we walked across and they shipped it out to us, they sent it to us, they put it on a plaque and made it something that was tangible and it's something that I'm definitely going to remember forever. Having that memory and thinking back fondly of it, it's great and something I was always going to do, but being able to actually have that tangible piece and being able to touch and tell people about this being the actual stage I walked across, it's surreal. So I'm really excited."

Lowe's

From Mater Dei High School in California to Alabama and the NFL, Young also said he feels that having a piece of the 2023 draft stage is a "culmination" of all the hard work he put in to make his dreams come true.

"For me as a rookie, I'm super grateful for that and for that experience and all that it took that I've gone through to get here, but now everything resets and I start from zero," Young said. "So I'm super excited and it's been great being able to work and try to do everything I can to earn the respect of those around me and try to do everything I can to help the team now that I am here. What I've done in the past doesn't entitle me to anything now, but I'm really excited to keep working and keep growing now that I have made it to the NFL."

Transitioning from college to the pros isn't easy, but Young has one of the best mentors in the NFL in former Pro Bowl quarterback Andy Dalton, who spent nine seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2011-2019 before bouncing around the league over the last three years.

Dalton signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Panthers in March, and he began the offseason listed as Carolina's starting quarterback on the depth chart despite Young receiving the majority of the work with the first unit.

The Panthers officially elevated Young to QB1 on June 8, with head coach Frank Reich telling reporters it is "the next step" in his progression toward being the team's Week 1 starter against the Atlanta Falcons.

Dalton's advice and mentorship has been a big factor in Young's transition to the NFL and rise to the top of the depth chart.

"I think one of the biggest things, and it's something that I definitely view as special to me so I won't get too far into the specifics, but he talked to me about his process. One, throughout the progression of the season and then his week-to-week process of how he prepares and how he gets ready for practice and what he does for his body to get himself mentally and physically right for the day," Young said. "Him opening up to me with that, and that's something he's developed over years and years of success and being able to be in the league, and for him to give me that as a rookie, it really means a lot to me, so I'm super grateful to be able to be here with Andy. It means a lot."

Another element that eased Young's transition to the premier position in the Carolina offense was his pre-draft research of Reich's tendencies and exploration of what the longtime coach did with his past offenses.

Before being hired by the Panthers, Reich served as quarterbacks coach for the Indianapolis Colts (2009-2010) and the then-San Diego Chargers (2013). He was also the offensive coordinator for the Chargers (2014-15) and Philadelphia Eagles (2016-2017) before serving as head coach of the Colts (2018-2022).

"I think his philosophy, his quarterback philosophy and the responsibilities that he puts on us and what he wants out of the position is something that I identify with as well," Young said. "I've done it in the past and I'm really grateful for him to have the philosophy that he does, and on top of that, how he goes about teaching it and portraying it because he's been great to work with. He's someone who wants to be collaborative, wants us to take ownership in things and playing for a coach like that, him being a former quarterback and him understanding how it works, it's really just great to know that you're playing for someone who gets it, who's been there and understands it so all in all it's been amazing."

Reich and the Carolina coaching staff have been vocal about Young's level of poise and intellect, but the Alabama product prides himself on working hard, which he says is a big part of the team's identity.

"One of the things that we talk about is having a warrior mentality and working hard. For me honestly, I've focused on trying to embody the identity of the team and what they want. One of the things is working hard, and I do everything I can to try and do that," Young said. "It's easy when there's a ton of people that work hard around me. We have a team full of guys that are hard workers and push themselves. Seeing how hard working people are, I think that that's something for me that I push myself to do every day because that's something that we embody and we push ourselves to do as a team."

As Young continues to delve "deeper and deeper" into the Carolina offense, he continues to earn the respect of his teammates through his hard work and dedication to the craft. However, he knows maintaining that level of respect over the duration of his career won't be easy.

"I want to be able to pick their brains and know and learn from them and also I want to show that I hear what they're saying. I hear the meetings we have. I know that what they expect from all of us to be a part of the team and try to be consistent in doing that," Young said. "I think that's a process that never ends. You keep doing that. You keep wanting to earn the respect even when you have it. It's something that you can lose so you have to maintain and keep doing the little things to do so, so I'm excited for that challenge to continue."

Young and his Panthers teammates enter the 2023 season with a real opportunity to capture the NFC South crown following the retirement of Tom Brady from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Expectations are high and the pressure is on.

As long as Young and Co. continue to put in the work both on and off the field, the Panthers could be in line for their best season since the 2017 campaign when they finished second in the division with an 11-5 record.