Bryce Young might be the best quarterback Alabama’s ever had. He’s got great playmaking instincts, can make every throw in the book, and would be a superb leader for any team fortunate enough to draft him.
But Young probably won’t be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
At the very least, you shouldn’t be betting on it — no matter how the markets have shifted with less than three weeks before this year’s draft. Per DraftKings, Young is now the betting favorite for the Carolina Panthers to draft at No. 1 overall. But just because he’s the betting favorite doesn’t mean Carolina will take the safe route.
It literally makes too much sense that Carolina would opt for a prospect with a theoretically lower ceiling than others after making a bold move up to the top spot:
Why would the Panthers settle for Young when they can get more of a prototypical (and bigger, at a listed 6-foot-3, 218 pounds) pocket passer in C.J. Stroud? Never mind that it’s pretty clear the Panthers have an affinity for Stroud.
Why would the Panthers settle for Young when they can get someone raw but tantalizing like Anthony Richardson and mold him into a weapon that can help them control the NFC for years? Sometimes it’s not about who’s the best right now. It’s about who the best will be down the line.
Young’s good — maybe even very good — and he’ll likely enjoy a competent career, at minimum. But he’s a boring pick for the Panthers, who already took a bold swing. Expect them to go for the fences again at the end of this month.
