Bryce Young is Panthers' long-awaited QB choice with No. 1 pick in 2023 NFL draft
Seven weeks after the Carolina Panthers orchestrated a dramatic trade to acquire the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft, the team officially has its new quarterback in the fold.
The Panthers selected Alabama's Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick on Thursday, bringing apparent resolution for the long term to a franchise that has cycled through stopgap solutions behind center in recent years.
Young had been considered the overwhelming front-runner for the pick in recent weeks, though first-year coach Frank Reich said the team's decision was not finalized until Monday, when he met with general manager Scott Fitterer and reached a "consensus." On Wednesday, Young told reporters he hadn't "heard anything from the team" regarding the selection.
Now, the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner is poised to be the centerpiece of a franchise that has not had the same quarterback lead the team in starts in consecutive years since Cam Newton, the organization's last No. 1 pick in 2011, did so from 2017-18. Since then, Carolina has tried Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield behind center. None worked out for coach Matt Rhule, who was fired by owner David Tepper last October amid a 1-4 start.
Though interim coach Steve Wilks pushed Carolina to the brink of the postseason by going 6-6, the Panthers fell short of the NFC West crown and missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season.
After the Panthers sent two first-round picks, two second-round choices and leading wide receiver DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears in the deal to move up from No. 9 to No. 1, team brass openly acknowledged the intent to pursue a passer. Carolina held visits with Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Florida's Anthony Richardson and Kentucky's Will Levis after attending all four quarterbacks' pro days.
In the end, however, Young was the clear choice.
At Alabama, Young set school single-season records for passing yards (4,872) and touchdowns (47) en route to becoming the Crimson Tide's first Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.
He becomes the school's first-ever No. 1 NFL draft pick.
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Bryce Young's size not a problem for Panthers
When the Panthers acquired the No. 1 overall pick, some questioned whether Young's height (5-10) would be a problem for Reich. In his 17 years as an assistant and head coach, all but seven of his teams' games have been started by a quarterback 6-4 or taller, according to NBC.
"Don't read anything into it,'' Reich said in March when asked about his history of working with statuesque signal-callers as it pertained to the Panthers' draft plans. "I'm just saying that because all these people are putting this label on me that I only look at big quarterbacks.''
Fitterer likened Young to Russell Wilson, the 5-11 quarterback who went on to become a nine-time Pro Bowl selection. Wilson was a third-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2012, when Fitterer was the team's director of college scouting.
“When Russell Wilson came out, he had three balls batted down his senior year; Bryce had two,” Fitterer said in an April news conference. “It doesn’t seem to be an issue. When you grow up a shorter quarterback, you learn how to evolve your game and adapt and see the field, and he’s done that.”
At the NFL scouting combine, Young quelled concerns about his weight by measuring in at 204 pounds, 10 above his listed playing weight at Alabama. Still, he becomes the lightest quarterback to be selected in the first round since at least 1999, according to ESPN.
How Bryce Young fits with Panthers
In Carolina, Young will take over an offense that has undergone a nearly complete overhaul of its skill-position talent.
After giving up Moore in the trade with the Bears, the Panthers signed wide receiver Adam Thielen, a two-time Pro Bowl selection who was released by the Minnesota Vikings in March, and deep threat DJ Chark. Running back Miles Sanders should handle the bulk of the carries after rushing for career highs of 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns last season for the Philadelphia Eagles. At tight end, Hayden Hurst takes over as the starter after signing a three-year, $21.75 million contract to join the team this offseason.
The offensive line returns all five starters, who are set to be under contract through 2024.
In March, the Panthers signed 12-year veteran Andy Dalton to be a mentor and expected backup to the No. 1 pick, though he could be a stopgap starter if the team needs time to acclimate Young.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz on Twitter @MikeMSchwartz.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bryce Young is No. 1 pick in 2023 NFL draft by Carolina Panthers
