In case you haven’t heard, 2023’s No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young is a tad on the small side. And with that may come some inherent problems for the Carolina Panthers.
But former quarterback and current ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky has a suggestion.
On Monday’s episode of NFL Live, Orlovsky—who nearly joined Carolina’s coaching staff this offseason—proposed the following about the 5-foot-10, 204-pound passer:
“There’s a reality of things that you can control with the size and things that you can’t,” he said. “There’s some scheme things that you can do and then making sure you try to minimize the liability of him getting hurt.
“I think if I was Carolina, the one thing I’d really want to focus in on is how much we can maybe do under center. And the reason I say that is because more under center that you do, the more you can try and build in throwing lanes for shorter quarterbacks.”
Be super interested if @Panthers try to incorporate this for @_bryce_young and their offense #nfllive@DNewtonespn @AnishESPN pic.twitter.com/tGZUaBYWpw
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) May 15, 2023
Young has managed in his frame rather well thus far, even when he’s taken on some hard hits. He missed one game this past season with a shoulder injury after absorbing a tackle against Arkansas, the lone absence of his decorated college career.
And as for the balance between his height and visibility, creating those aforementioned throwing lanes will—obviously—be key for the Panthers. But we’re willing to bet, between the all-star coaching staff and Young’s mix of processing and improvisational skills, that the offense will have plenty of opportunities to grow—even if their quarterback can’t.
