NFL GM: Panthers' Bryce Young Was 'Genius-Level on the Whiteboard' Before 2023 Draft

Even though Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young did have some drawbacks as a prospect leading up to the 2023 NFL draft, his on-field intelligence really pushed him over the top for a lot of teams.

On the latest episode of the Scoop City podcast (starts at 30:10 mark), The Athletic's Dane Brugler said he was told by one NFL general manager that Young was "genius-level on the whiteboard" during the pre-draft process.

As part of the draft process, teams will bring in a player to go over different plays on a whiteboard to see how they process the information.

While there is value to this type of testing, it's also possible for teams to influence the outcome if they really like a player. Patrick Mahomes said that he was given the answers to the test put together by the Kansas City Chiefs by offensive coordinator Matt Nagy the night before he met with Andy Reid in 2017.

Stories about Young's intelligence and testing ability were frequently discussed in the lead up to the draft. He reportedly had the highest S2 cognition score of all the quarterbacks in the 2023 draft.

Despite the concerns about Young's size, both his height and weight, the Panthers bet on his intelligence and success in a high-pressure environment at Alabama to make him the No. 1 pick.

While it's still very early in Young's career, it's hard not to call the Panthers' decision a mistake when C.J. Stroud was picked second by the Houston Texans. Carolina's trade up to get the top choice from the Chicago Bears also wound up costing them the No. 1 pick in 2024 and the opportunity to select Caleb Williams.

Young hasn't been helped by the situation around him in Carolina. The Panthers are off to a 1-7 start this season after going 2-15 in 2023. He has thrown for 3,400 yards, 13 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 21 games.

Until the Panthers put a better roster around Young—or trade him to another club that believes they could maximize his talent—it's hard to see how things are going to get better for him at this point.