From the middle school ranks in Southern California to the pro stage in Kansas City, Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud have navigated through football alongside one another for years—and that showed on Thursday night.
With the first pick of the 2023 NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers selected Young—the University of Alabama star and 2021 Heisman Trophy winner. Here, at the very end of this beautiful little compilation, was a piece of that moment, one he briefly shared with Stroud before hitting the stage to collect his new jersey.
Those @_bryce_young & @CJ7STROUD daps go way back ❤️ pic.twitter.com/CBe7T6XlGU
— NFL (@NFL) April 28, 2023
Not too long after—within the next 10 or so minutes, in fact—Stroud heard his name called by the Houston Texans at the No. 2 spot. And, as you’d expect, Young was pumped up for his longtime pal.
Although that moment was a culmination of all the hard work these two put in together going back to eighth grade, it was really just the latest chapter in the amazing and ongoing story between No. 1 and No. 2.
