Who is Bryce Young? Get to know the Carolina Panthers’ top pick from NFL Draft

The Carolina Panthers have found their quarterback of the future.

On Thursday, the Panthers drafted Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Young is considered the top quarterback prospect in a class featuring C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) Anthony Richardson (Florida) and Will Levis (Kentucky). All four had a case to be the top pick.

Carolina closely evaluated the top quarterback prospects after trading for the No. 1 pick via a blockbuster deal with the Chicago Bears.

As a two-year starter for the Crimson Tide, he threw 80 touchdowns to only 12 interceptions and completed 66% of his passes. Young, 21, was the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner.

Here are three things you need to know about Young:

One of the most highly touted quarterback recruits in the country

Young was born in Philadelphia but grew up in California and attended high school there. Young began his high school career at Cathedral High School but transferred to powerhouse Mater Dei for his junior and senior seasons. He graduated from high school in 2020 and was initially committed to the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. But Young later switched his commitment to Alabama.

He was one of the highest-ranked recruits of all time as the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback in the nation and No. 2 overall player in the nation in the class of 2020. As a senior, Young threw for more than 4,500 yards and scored 58 touchdowns. He was named California’s Gatorade Football Player of the Year.

That season Young’s team beat Maryland’s Saint Frances 34-18 in a nationally covered game. At the time, Saint Frances was coached by current Charlotte 49ers’ coach Biff Poggi. Young scored four total touchdowns in the game, rushed for 104 yards and passed for 247.

Young finished his high school career with 13,520 passing yards and 152 touchdowns.

An Alabama record-breaker

As a freshman, Young watched Crimson Tide quarterback Mac Jones lead Alabama to a national championship in 2020. Young started the next two seasons for Alabama and became the first player in school history to record 3,000 passing yards in multiple seasons.

In two seasons he threw 80 touchdowns to only 12 interceptions and completed 66% of his passes. He went 24-4 as a starter and won the 2021 Heisman Trophy. As a sophomore, Young led Alabama to the College Football Playoff national championship game but lost to the Georgia Bulldogs. Despite beating Georgia in the SEC championship earlier that season, Young could not overcome the absence of some of his top receivers, who did play due to injury.

This past season, Young carried an Alabama offense that did not feature its usual blue-chip pass-catching or offensive line talent. Alabama lost two SEC games (each by one score) and did not play in the SEC championship for the first time since 2019. Young’s final game at Alabama was a 45-20 Sugar Bowl victory over Kansas State.

Young left Alabama second in all-time passing yards and total touchdowns scored.

Widely considered the top QB prospect

Young has been considered the top quarterback prospect throughout the NFL Draft evaluation process.

He did not throw at the NFL Scouting Combine but his measurables became national news. Young officially measured at 5-foot-10 1/8 and weighed 204 pounds. He is the lightest Round 1 quarterback since 2006 and one of the shortest passers ever drafted. Young is the same height as Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.

But evaluators are confident Young’s stature will not be an issue. Young threw at his pro day and went through a routine workout. He checked all the necessary boxes, throwing quick game, intermediate crossers and a few deep posts. He only bootlegged on a couple of reps, rolling both left and right for scouts to judge his mobility. The workout felt condensed but not underwhelming. He drove the ball with consistent velocity and command.

In the days leading up to the NFL Draft, betting odds heavily shifted toward Young being selected by the Panthers with the No. 1 pick. On Thursday, Carolina picked Young to be its new franchise quarterback.