Panthers seeded in the first round by Bryce Young

strength point: Creativity in and out of the pocket, decision making and ball positioning, adept at finding passing lanes and adjusting arm angles, fearless despite small stature

Weaknesses: Out for size, good but not great natural arm talent, sometimes leaving the pocket prematurely

Bryce Young embodies the spirit of Yoda as he enters the professional ranks. “Size doesn’t matter. Look at me. Judge me by my size, right? Well, you don’t have to.”

Every discussion regarding Young boils down to a simple understanding: He’s under 5’11” and weighs 204 pounds (although his actual playing weight may be less than the figure from the NFL Scouting Combine).

An entire appraisal will be built around the fact that some organizations and appraisers will not be able to go above and beyond his stature. However, Young is considered a legitimate top-tier talent and is arguably the most natural quarterback in this year’s class.

In fact, the sport continues to evolve. Greater emphasis has been placed on one’s creativity in the most important position in the game. Young extends plays. Works in traffic and turns from weird angles. He is charming in how he puts together a play despite his stature.

Two things are true: First, quarterbacks are more protected than ever. However, all quarterbacks are attacking, regardless of their size. What really matters is how these individuals can change the course of the franchise.

Despite being the ultimate extreme, Young is a pocket Jedi who can navigate dire situations.

One league executive called the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner a “mental expert,” according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

An AFC resident added, “The most prepared for professionals. He sees the whole field better than anyone else.”

The Carolina Panthers have finally managed to squeeze in the quarterback they’ve been looking for since Cam Newton’s body began to fall apart and he left ahead of the 2020 campaign.

To get their man, they had to go first overall by sending this year’s ninth overall pick, second round pick, next year’s first and second overall 2025 pick, plus wide receiver DJ Moore, to Chicago. bear.

Young lands a position where he’ll have a former NFL quarterback as his head coach in Frank Reich and quarterbacks coach in Josh McCown. These guys saw how Young acted, absorbed the information and played the game. When all of these factors were taken into account, its size didn’t matter.