Carolina Panthers Select Bryce Young as First Draft Pick: NFL Draft Recap

Bryce Young joins the Carolina Panthers in the NFL. At the draft in Kansas City, the Panthers chose Bryce with their first-round pick, who became the first junior player allowed on stage and hugged NFL boss Roger Goodell.

Three quarterbacks were selected from the top four positions. The Houston Texans secured CJ Stroud in second place. Anthony Richardson went fourth to the Indianapolis Colts.

“It’s just crazy. I thank God that I’m standing here and that the Carolina Panthers drafted me,” said Bryce shortly after his number 1 pick. “I will give everything for the team that we are successful.”

Carolina Panthers Select Bryce Young as First Draft Pick

The Panthers will look to find consistency at the quarterback position with Young, which the team has lacked since 2018. Last year, Cam Newton was a regular at the quarterback position. He is currently a free agent.

Young 1. pic.twitter.com/TqpE1Ke0jI

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) April 28, 2023

Young performed well during his time with the Crimson Tide. In his first year as a regular, he won the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award in 2021. In 27 games, Bryce picked up 24 wins with Crimson Tide — including an SEC championship. In 2021, he threw a record 4,872 yards and 47 touchdown passes. He continued his strong season in 2022 with 3,328 passing yards and 32 touchdown passes.

The Carolina Panthers have been stagnant in the NFL since 2016

The Panthers haven’t progressed since the 2016 Super Bowl and Newton’s shoulder injury in late 2018. Bryce is supposed to be a fresh start so the Carolina Panthers can play for the championship again.

Among the young talents who have registered for the draft this year are three German football players with Kilian Zierer, Lorenz Metz and Marlon Werthmann. Whether an NFL team will choose one of these players is not yet clear.

NFL Draft: All first-round picks at a glance

1. Carolina Panthers – Bryce Young (Quarterback, Alabama)

• After the Carolina Panthers traded several first-round picks and star receiver DJ Moore with the Chicago Bears for the number 1 pick, the Panthers chose Bryce Young. The Heisman Trophy winner stands 5’7″ and weighs 180 pounds. Nevertheless, he delivered in Alabama. In the past two years, Young has thrown 80 touchdowns in 27 games with only 12 interceptions. In Carolina, Young gets former NFL quarterback Frank Reich as his head coach. Bryce now has Adam Thielen and DJ Chark as receivers. The division win in the NFC South should be doable. (NFL pundit Matt Verderame)

2. Houston Texans – C.J. Stroud (Quarterback, Ohio State)

• The Houston Texans didn’t think twice and signed CJ Stroud, probably the most accurate quarterback in the draft. He will likely replace Davis Mills as the number one quarterback. The 6-foot-1 player has thrown 85 total touchdowns with just 12 interceptions for Ohio State over the past two seasons. Stroud lacks a bit of athleticism, but he makes up for it with his poise in the pocket and his ability to tear apart defenses with his precision and arm strength. (NFL pundit Gilberto Manzano)

3. Houston Texans – Will Anderson Jr. (Defensive End, Alabama)

• After the Houston Texans traded the 12th pick to move up nine spots, among other things, the NFL team snapped up Will Anderson Jr. A two-time Nagurski Award winner, Anderson Jr. has been one of the strongest picks in the draft, after amassing 27.5 sacks over the past two years at the Crimson Tide. Head coach DeMeco Ryans gets a new quarterback in CJ Stroud and only minutes later landed the next direct hit with his new defensive talent. (NFL pundit Matt Verderame)

4. Indianapolis Colts – Anthony Richardson (Quarterback, Florida)

5. Seattle Seahawks – Devon Witherspoon (Cornerback, Illinois)

6. Arizona Cardinals – Paris Johnson Jr. (Offensive Tackle, Ohio State)

7. Las Vegas Raiders – Tyree Wilson (EDGE, Texas Tech)

8. Atlanta Falcons – Bijan Robinson (Running Back, Texas)

9. Philadelphia Eagles – Jalen Carter (Defensive Tackle, Georgia)

10. Chicago Bears – Darnell Wright (Offensive Tackle, Tennessee)

11. Tennessee Titans – Peter Skoronski (Offensive Tackle, Northwestern)

12. Detroit Lions – Jahmyr Gibbs (Running Back, Alabama)

13. Green Bay Packers – Lukas Van Ness (Defensive End, Iowa)

14. Pittsburgh Steelers – Broderick Jones (Offensive Tackle, Georgia)

15. New York Jets – Will McDonald IV (EDGE, Iowa St.)

16. Washington Commanders – Emmanuel Forbes (Cornerback, Mississippi St.)

17. New England Patriots – Christian Gonzalez (Cornerback, Oregon)

18. Detroit Lions – Jack Campbell (Linebacker, Iowa)

19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Calijah Kancey (Defensive Tackle, Pittsburgh)

20. Seattle Seahawks – Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Wide Receiver, Ohio St.)

21. Los Angeles Chargers – Quentin Johnston (Wide Receiver, TCU)

22. Baltimore Ravens – Zay Flowers (Wide Receiver, Boston College)

23. Minnesota Vikings – Jordan Addison (Wide Receiver, USC)

24. New York Giants – Deonte Banks (Cornerback, Maryland)

25. Buffalo Bills – Dalton Kincaid (Tight End, Utah)

26. Dallas Cowboys – Mazi Smith (Defensive Tackle, Michigan)

27. Jacksonville Jaguars – Anton Harrison (Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma)

28. Cincinnati Bengals – Myles Murphy (Defensive End, Clemson)

29. New Orleans Saints – Bryan Bresee (Defensive Tackle, Clemson)

30. Philadelphia Eagles – Nolan Smith (Defensive End, Georgia)

31. Kansas City Chiefs – Felix Anudike-Uzomah (Defensive End, Kansas St.)

* The Miami Dolphins lost their first-round pick due to illegal negotiations.