The Carolina Panthers have left no stone unturned in their search for a franchise quarterback, and the kid they’ve likely turned those stones over for has definitely noticed.
With less than a week to go until the 2023 NFL draft, University of Alabama star Bryce Young remains the heavy favorite to be selected No. 1 overall by the Panthers. While this may be an easy choice when it’s all said and done, the process was a comprehensive one for the organization—which sent its band of top shot callers around the country to come to a decision.
And that decision will probably end up, if it hasn’t already, on Young—who recently spoke of Carolina’s extensive legwork.
“It was a lot of getting to know each other,” Young said via the NFL Network of his meetings with the team brass. “I really do appreciate the dedication to everything. With Mr. Tepper, him being so involved, that just shows how much he cares about the team and you can tell that that radiates through the entire coaching staff. They’re extremely invested in everything. I’ve been able to talk to them and they have a very clear plan of what they want for the future and what they’ve been building, and they’ve been doing that for a while now. Just being able to sit with him and everyone else that was a part of the dinner, it was just a great opportunity for me and a great experience. Even personally, I learned a lot from just hearing from their philosophies on and off the field. So it was a great experience for me.”
It was apparently a great experience for them, too. Head coach Frank Reich was reportedly blown away by Young’s mind for the game while general manager Scott Fitterer claimed talking to the 21-year-old passer was like talking to a 40-year-old man.
Now, it seems like they’ll be able to talk as much as they want beginning on Thursday night.
