7 things you don’t know about Carolina Panthers rookie QB and No. 1 pick Bryce Young

Bryce Young has been in the football limelight long enough that in some ways it seems like we’ve known the new Carolina Panthers quarterback forever. He won a Heisman Trophy at Alabama after all.

In other ways, though, we aren’t that familiar with Young yet. Here are seven things you probably don’t know about Young, the 21-year-old QB the Panthers picked No. 1 on Thursday night.

Young was a running back first

Young’s father, Craig, told this story in Charlotte on Friday when asked about how his son became a quarterback. It happened in Pasadena, California, at age 7, in a YMCA football league.

“I coached him (at the time),” Young said. “There was a running back who was faster than him. And so it was either, ‘You’re going to be a backup running back or we have a quarterback position open.’ And so he was like, ‘Well, I’ll try it.’ And literally the first time he dropped back, he eluded a rush, threw off-balance and completed a pass. And then we were like, ‘Well, maybe we have something here.’ And so he’s been a quarterback ever since.”

Young loves the word ‘super’

In this, Young shares an affinity with Panthers owner David Tepper, but they use the word “super” in very different ways.

Tepper made no bones Thursday about the fact that Young was drafted with the idea of getting the Panthers to the Super Bowl again — and this time finally winning one.

“We thought this guy had the highest probability of winning Super Bowls,” Tepper said Thursday. The owner used that “Super Bowls” phrase — and he kept saying it in a plural sense, as in multiple championships — several times in various settings Thursday, with both fans and with the media.

Young loves the word “super,” too, but not in that way. He has skillfully sidestepped any predictions about championships or Super Bowls all week, no matter how many times he was asked the question.

But you know how you like to teach your kids to have an attitude of gratitude? Young has that, in a very big way. In his 10-minute press conference in Kansas City shortly after his selection, Young used the word “super” seven times, and it turns out he was just warming up.

At various times Thursday and Friday Young described himself as “super excited,” “super proud,” “super happy,” “super thankful” and most frequently of all, “super grateful.”

A typical example from Young: “I am super grateful for what has happened in my past and for being selected where I was, but I know that doesn’t entitle me to anything.”

That attitude will endear him to a locker room that will need Young to prove he belongs. And indeed, he won’t be handed the keys to the Panthers’ starting job. Carolina coach Frank Reich said Young will be listed behind starter Andy Dalton on Carolina’s initial depth chart and that the rookie will have to earn the starting job. Maybe Young won’t start Week 1 in September, although I bet he will.

You don’t stick the No. 1 overall draft pick on the bench for long. You can be super sure of that.

Who was Bryce Young named for?

I had idly wondered this before. It turns out the answer is former NFL linebacker Bryce Paup. According to a recent Sports Illustrated story, Craig Young thought of Bryce’s name while watching a Monday Night Football game that featured Paup, who played linebacker for Green Bay at the time.

Odd piece of trivia: the Panthers were once very interested in signing Paup for their inaugural team, in 1995. Bill Polian, then the Panthers general manager, thought Paup and linebacker Lamar Lathon were almost identical in their skill level. Both were free agents at the time, and the Panthers had a long internal debate about it.

Polian and the Panthers ended up going with Lathon, who was a slightly better athlete, but who also turned out to be more injury-prone and had only half as many career sacks as Paup did (75 to 37.5).

Young and C.J. Stroud are close

Young and Stroud showed chemistry and an obvious friendship when they were together in Kansas City.

“That’s my brother,” Young said of Stroud. “I have known him since middle school (both grew up in California). We have been close for a while. It was really cool throughout this process to have someone who I was going through it with. ... We were working out together a lot. That is someone I am really close with and have been close with for a while and it was a big night for both of us. ... For us to be in the same room, the same building for that — it was super special.”

Young is aware of Black QB history

Stroud went No. 2 to the Houston Texans, one pick behind Young. Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson soon went No. 4, meaning that three of the top four overall picks in the 2023 NFL Draft were Black quarterbacks.

“That means a lot,” Young said Friday. “Throughout the history of this league, there’s been such a stigma on Black athletes and Black quarterbacks, specifically. I’m honored to be a part of this history. Me and CJ (Stroud), going 1-2, and then Ant (Anthony Richardson) ... I’m super grateful for the people who blazed the trail that allowed this to happen. ... There’s so many people that had to be overlooked and had to start at a disadvantage. There’s so much that happened to allow this to come into fruition today. I’m grateful for all the pioneers of the past that helped pave the way for me, and for everyone who is to follow.”

The trade that didn’t happen

You know how Bryce Young could well have not ended up as a Panther? If another proposed trade had happened, which would have ended up with Carolina holding the No. 2 pick.

Tepper told the story Thursday night of the trade that almost — but didn’t — happen.

“The Texans were going to trade up to one,” Tepper said. “Chicago was going to be down to two, and we were going to trade with Chicago (swapping Carolina’s No. 9 pick for Chicago’s No. 2 pick).”

The Texans ultimately bowed out of that deal, however, and so a three-team trade became a two-team trade. If Houston had gone up to No. 1, who knows? Houston might have ended up with Young and Carolina with Stroud.

Tepper also said Carolina was nervous about making the trade that ultimately did happen with Chicago because the Las Vegas Raiders “had a better potential trade” and also wanted to move up to Chicago’s No. 1 spot.

“We knew if we didn’t do it then, we might lose it,” Tepper said.

So Carolina did it, giving Chicago four draft picks and wide receiver DJ Moore for the right to select Young.

Bryce Young, Steph Curry and Muggsy

Like a lot of football players, Young also loves basketball.

He was a point guard when he played, and he enjoyed distributing the ball. When I got around Young for the first time this week, I was struck with the many similarities he has with former Davidson star Steph Curry — the smarts, the polish, the strong parental influences, the size questions and the way they both figured out ways to adapt to their lack of ideal height.

Young has met Curry and hung out with the Panthers’ most famous fan a little bit. But they aren’t fast friends yet, and Young hasn’t spoken with Curry since he’s been drafted, he said Friday.

“Steph right now, he’s got a lot on his plate too,” said Young, referring to Curry trying to lead Golden State on another playoff run. “He’s focused and locked in on the playoff series he’s trying to win. ... He’s someone I definitely look up to. I’m well aware of him being a part of the fan base. It’s super cool.”

Curry did shout out Young, though, in the warmup to his Friday night playoff game. “QB 1 — Bryce Young!” he yelled, before miming a quarterback faking a handoff, dropping back into an imaginary pocket and throwing an imaginary football.

As for that part about “looking up” to Curry?

It’s quite literally true. At 5-foot-10, Young is four inches shorter than the 6-2 Curry. On the other hand, if he wanted to, he could literally look down on Muggsy Bogues, the former 5-foot-3 Charlotte Hornets star.

Bogues doesn’t care. Like most of the Panthers’ fan base, he was thrilled to see Young arrive in the Queen City.

Tweeted out Bogues on Friday: “Another undersized star in Charlotte, you gotta love it!! Can’t wait for him to prove the doubters wrong.”