Panthers should select Bryce Young over CJ Stroud with top pick

There has been a lot of discussion about who the Panthers should draft with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. After trading up from the ninth pick with the Chicago Bears, reports spilled out that Carolina did not make the move with just one quarterback in mind.

There have been connections with C.J. Stroud and quarterback coach Josh McCown after video surfaced of McCown praising the former Ohio State quarterback during a film study. This caused many people around the NFL world to assume that this will greatly influence the direction the Panthers go with this pick.

Speculation only grew when the Panthers sent 14 team representatives to Stroud’s pro day at Ohio State in March. Those present included head coach Frank Reich and McCown. There was even footage taken after the pro day of McCown and Stroud talking about hanging out in Charlotte and playing basketball together.

"“We’ll find a court, play some HORSE or something,” McCown told Stroud. “Maybe when you live in Charlotte, we will find a court.”"

A very interesting comment to say with so many cameras around. Maybe it’s a smokescreen, or maybe it shows how much the Panthers organization is sold on Stroud.

With all that being said, Carolina has done its due diligence on the top quarterbacks in this draft, including Bryce Young.

The former Alabama quarterback checks all the boxes that you want in a quarterback. The one question mark is his size. Young stands at 5’10″ and 204 pounds, something that could worry a number of NFL front offices. However, Young has shown the ability to play at extremely high levels despite being labeled as “small”.

In addition to playing well in SEC play and making smart decisions with the football, Young tested the highest among all quarterbacks in the draft class in a cognition exam.

According to NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah on the ‘Around the NFL’ podcast, Young recorded one of the highest grades in the S2 Cognition test.

"“So, it’s a processing test that is now being given especially to quarterbacks,” Jeremiah said. “It would be like six shapes pop up and one that’s different. How quick can you process information? Josh Allen was off the charts on it. Patrick Mahomes tested off the charts on it. Last year in the entire quarterback class, Brock Purdy had the highest number, had the highest grade on it. This year. It’s Bryce Young.”"

The 21-year-old quarterback has been spectacular in his collegiate career where he faced a grueling SEC schedule for multiple seasons. The SEC produces the most NFL talent among all Power Five conferences, and the NFL is littered with SEC talent.

If there are people who think that Young will struggle in the NFL because of his size, they need to realize that he played against an abundance of NFL talent in college.

When you look at Stroud’s experience compared to Young, Stroud had a plethora of weapons at his disposal. Those players included Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Marvin Harrison Jr. Wilson and Olave each had stellar rookie seasons, and already look like they will be superstars in the NFL. Both of these wide receivers said that Smith-Njigba was better than both of them while they were at Ohio State. Young was not deprived of weapons, as he played with Jameson Williams, John Metchie III, Jahmyr Gibbs, and others, but not the caliber that Stroud had.

I believe Stroud can be a very good quarterback at the next level, but when discussing Young, the only question that comes up regards his general size.

People bring up Kyler Murray when discussing Young, but Murray was not as polished as Young coming out of college. Young is mobile, but when watching him, he does not look to run. Instead, he utilizes his mobility and athletic ability to navigate the pocket. You will rarely see Young tuck and run when it is not necessary. The Alabama product does a great job of keeping his eyes down the field, while climbing the pocket when needed. If Young was just a few inches taller, there would be no discussion about whether another quarterback should go first overall.

This is not a knock on Stroud, as I believe Stroud belongs in the conversation, and I absolutely get that people side with Stroud because of his stature. The former Ohio State quarterback is incredibly accurate, and his athletic ability is underrated while standing at 6’3″ and 215 pounds.

We saw him make multiple plays with his legs against Georgia in the Peach Bowl. The one major knock on Stroud was that he was solely a pocket quarterback, but that narrative was shut down after that performance. Stroud also completed 23 of 34 pass attempts for 348 yards and four touchdowns against an NFL-loaded defense in Georgia.

It does help to be 6’2 or taller as a quarterback in the NFL, but that is becoming overstated when discussing Young. The NFL has seen quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Russell Wilson be incredibly productive at under six feet tall. Young can win inside and outside the pocket. He is mobile but does not excessively depend on his legs. His intelligence paired with mobility is what makes him such a compelling prospect.

It may be a tad risky to make Young the first overall pick, but he is the readiest quarterback in the draft, and his height should not deter the Carolina Panthers from selecting the former Crimson Tide quarterback.