It has been seemingly mirror-opposite seasons for the number one and number two overall pick in the 2023 draft, with quarterback C.J. Stroud coming off the greatest performance by a rookie quarterback ever, and Bryce Young coming off maybe his worst game of the season. It puts Young in tough territory in a seemingly lost season for the now 1-7 Panthers, and without much hope from his supporting cast it’s a wonder where he goes from here.
The Carolina Panthers and Bryce Young by no means had to take on world beaters this past Sunday with the Indianapolis Colts hanging firmly in the ‘below average’ tier of teams. That did not stop the Colts from dominating Carolina all afternoon, including their rookie quarterback. It certainly didn’t help that Young ended up throwing a career-high three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Young looked overwhelmed by the constant pressure his abysmal offensive line forced him into, and his lack of receiving options became woefully obvious.
It’s not unexpected for a rookie to see struggles in his first year on a bad team, but when the quarterback drafted one pick after him is performing at this high of a level consistently, fans are bound to take notice. Ironically enough, Young’s first victory came over Stroud just one week ago, but you would be hard-pressed to find a fan who would cite that victory as a beacon of hope for this rookie or the franchise.
There is plenty of time for Young to continue to develop and we have seen plenty of flashes as to why Carolina took him number one overall. It is just going to be up to this front office to completely overhaul the weapons surrounding Young and his protection in the immediate future. It would be hard for any quarterback to function like this, let alone a first-year player.
