Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown knows not to judge a book by its cover—no matter how small the cover may be.
On Tuesday, Brown spoke with reporters following some early on-field work. When asked if the size of his new 5-foot-10, 204-pound quarterback was an issue for him during the draft evaluation process, he no-sold it.
“I never cared about it,” Brown replied about No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. “Was never an issue, in my opinion, just for me. I evaluate tape. Still playing football. If we were in a competition for the tallest, the biggest, the fastest, the strongest—like it’s an overall combine deal–then maybe so. I would’ve been probably in a different category as well. But no comparison to myself at all. I am, I guess, considered a shorter person depending on who I’m standing next to. But I wouldn’t even put my playing ability in the same conversation with Bryce as far as our ability at all.”
Brown, as a 5-foot-8 running back, was on the smaller side himself during his playing days. He, nonetheless, was a sixth-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons back in 2008 and lasted a few seasons in the league.
And when it comes to Young, Brown believes the gifted passer has a lot to bring to the organization for years to come.
“For me, personally, I never cared about it because I evaluate tape, I evaluate the person, think about his projection to this level,” he added. “Bryce is himself. I’m not into comparisons about what came before, who’s coming in the future. I try to look at everybody individually of what they can do to bring to the table.”
