Bryce Young did not get any taller over the offseason.
It’s not always easy being a short king, and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young knows it more than anyone. The Panthers mortgaged the future to move up to the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to select the 5’9 QB, but his rookie year was such a disaster Carolina ended up sending the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft back to the Chicago Bears to complete the deal. Young is only 22 years old, but he’s already facing a critical second season in Carolina as he reports to training camp.
Young is a small dude even by civilian standards. Carolina’s official roster lists him at 5’10, 204 pounds, but even that feels like a stretch. Young’s lack of size will always be the first thing people talk about, and his entrance to Panthers training camp is only reinforcing that. Here’s the video of Young walking into camp, which feels a lot more like a kid coming back for his first day at school than it does a former No. 1 overall NFL draft pick on the precipice of a breakout season.
Even Young’s body language is giving first day at school here. He’s not acknowleding the camera and just wants to get it where he’s going. The backpack, the guardrail being up to his chest … it’s al giving moody teenager.
Young is a legitimate talent, and it’s not all his fault that he had such an underwhelming rookie season. The Panthers let him down in a lot of ways, and the immediate ascension of No. 2 pick CJ Stroud didn’t do him any favors. Carolina brought him a veteran wide receiver in Diontae Johnson over the offseason, and also spent a ton of money on the offensive line. The investment around Young has been there, now he needs to prove he can make a real leap.
Small quarterbacks can be very good — just look at Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson, and Fran Tarkenton. Let’s see Young ball out in his second season and put the jokes to rest.
