If you try to stand Bryce Young and Cam Newton shoulder to shoulder, you’ll probably get more of a shoulder-to-bicep view. When it comes to the aesthetic of their particular profession, they couldn’t be more diametrically (emphasis on the “-metrically”) opposed.
Newton stands at an imposing 6-foot-5 and, at the height of his powers, walked around at about 250 pounds. Young, on the other hand, measures in at 5-foot-10 and is barely over the Mendoza Line on a good day.
But football isn’t played by just standing around shoulder to bicep.
In his latest mailbag feature, Joe Person of The Athletic was asked if he sees any early similarities between the franchise’s only two No. 1 overall picks. And his answer, just like the size difference, is pretty striking:
Like great athletes across all sports, Young moves with an easy, natural athleticism that makes it seem like he’s going half-speed. Making this a little difficult to conceptualize is the fact that no one’s been running full speed in these early shorts-and-helmets practices. Still, Young has the look of someone who’s used to being the best player on the field everywhere he’s been. Cam Newton was the same way.
Person, who’s been on the Panthers beat since David Gettis was a thing, has seen quite a bit over his 14 years covering the team. Heck, he was there before Newton was ever even a thought in Charlotte.
Yeah, his words—like prime Cam—carry a lot of weight around these parts.
He added the following:
Something else I noticed that reminded me of Newton . . . the way Young greets his offensive teammates with a hand slap before the start of team drills. Newton’s greetings might have been more elaborate, but Young’s serve the same purpose: letting the receivers, tight ends, backs and linemen know they’re all in it together.
Young, similarly to Newton, has also let the young fans know they’re in it as well. In an all too familiar scene, the rookie quarterback gifted a youngster his wristband following a session of organized team activities last week—much like his fellow Heisman Trophy winner did throughout his career.
So while Newton may be a polarizing figure for a small (and confused) portion of the fanbase, the Panthers and their supporters should be ecstatic if Young looks anything like the former Most Valuable Player when he hits the field.
