Football Court: Which rookie QB landed in the best place to succeed?

Who has the best chance to succeed between Anthony Richardson and Bryce Young?

Everyone rise. The honorable Judge Mark Schofield presiding in Football Court case No. 4782-03, “Which rookie quarterback from the 2023 NFL Draft found themselves in the best landing spot?”

Representing Anthony Richardson of the Indianapolis Colts we have JP Acosta.
Representing Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers we have James Dator.

Gentleman, you have been sworn in and may begin your arguments.

Football Court is SB Nation.com’s ongoing series where we debate some of the biggest topics in the NFL. Think of it like First Take, but without the performative yelling.

JP Acosta, representing Anthony Richardson

Judge Schofield, members of the jury, I’m sure you all remember the 2022 Philadelphia Eagles offense. Yes, the one that finished first in rushing DVOA en route to a spot in the Super Bowl.

Allow me to take you back a year. With QB Jalen Hurts floundering in his first few starts, the Eagles would switch up their offense at midseason, embracing their new QBs’ ability as a runner and molding the offense around that baseline point. From that point on, the Eagles would make the playoffs and be provided with enough data points to have faith in Hurts’ ability as the starting QB.

The offensive coordinator for both years with the Eagles? Shane Steichen, who is now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. What the Eagles were able to do under Steichen was build an offense that forced defenders into conflict because of the ability of the QB to be dynamic in the run game, so having a QB that’ll force defenders to account for his ability with the ball in his hands as a runner is paramount.

Enter Anthony Richardson, a 6’4, 244 pound football-throwing kaiju with the potential to be one of the league’s’ best QBs. Where he falls short is in his footwork and lower body mechanics, tied to the lack of reps he got as a QB at the University of Florida. What’ll help him though is his ability as a runner, providing a high floor in a modern NFL offense.

Sounds a lot like … Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, who entered the league as one of the best runners at the position, but still had a ways to go when it comes to being a passer. Steichen has been around players like Richardson, and in an offense resembling Philadelphia’s, Richardson can start immediately due to his high floor as a runner, while continuing to add on reps as a passer.

The offense surrounding him isn’t too shabby either. The offensive line is getting older, yes, but at the skill positions, Richardson will have a bevy of talent to throw to. Someone who could help Richardson the most is second year WR Alec Pierce. Richardson threw the ball downfield a lot last season at Florida, yet his receivers couldn’t create separation or consistently win at the catch point.

Now, he’ll be throwing to this, as Exhibit A:

In addition, the Colts have Michael Pittman Jr, who very quietly is one of the NFL’s top receivers. His ability over the middle and in the YAC department (20th among WRs in Yards After Catch), will help the young QB by widening his margin for error on those tougher throws over the middle. The Colts also gave him a young WR to grow with in North Carolina’s Josh Downs, who has a different body type and play style from Pittman and Pierce. Downs is smaller, and shiftier in the short and intermediate areas. He’ll provide some juice from the slot for the offense as well.

They also have some guy named Jonathan Taylor in the backfield, I’m sure you’ve all heard of him. Defenses will have to account for both Taylor and Richardson on the ground, easing the load they each have to carry on the ground (no pun intended).

Richardson fits the potential Colts offense like a glove, and for that, has landed in the best place for his success.

I rest my case.

James Dator, representing Bryce Young

Ladies, gentleman, football fans of all ages — and of course Judge Schofield. I’m here today to explain why many of the quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft found themselves in great positions for their skillsets, but only one: Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers is in the best spot to allow him to succeed in the NFL immediately.

Entering the NFL as a rookie quarterback is profoundly difficult. We’ve seen time and time again that the wrong environment is far more of a limiting factor on QB performance than scouts simply being completely wrong in their evaluations. What if I told you that one team this offseason, and one team that took a quarterback in 2023 structured their entire organization for his arrival with a support system unlike anything we’ve seen in the modern NFL?

That team is the Carolina Panthers, and that player is Bryce Young.

We now know that the decision to move up to No. 1 overall and take Young wasn’t a drawn out process full of ponderance. From the second the Panthers traded up they knew who their guy was, and enacted a plan to make his transition to the NFL as easy as possible.

Firstly, personnel. Obviously it was going to be difficult for any quarterback to lift the hapless Panthers passing game without D.J. Moore, who Carolina traded away as part of the deal for No. 1. This isn’t an issue that can be fixed overnight, but the Panthers used the resources they had in tremendous ways to make smart skill position signings in order to make a rookie’s life easier.

Young now enters the NFL with a better receiving corps top-to-bottom than Carolina had last year, and that includes the loss of Moore. Sure, the top-end talent is gone, but now there’s a deep, trait-filled unit designed to attack multiple levels of the field and perfectly complement Young’s skillset. As we enter 2023 these are the weapons the rookie will have to work with:

WR Adam Thielen
WR D.J. Chark
WR Jonathan Mingo
WR Terrace Marshall Jr.
TE Hayden Hurst
RB Miles Sanders

It’s not an all-star cast, but it’s deeper than anything the Panthers have had in years. More importantly, Carolina’s offensive line is remarkably solid, and 100 percent intact from a year ago. It took a little bit of time for 2022 1st round pick Ikem Ekwonu to find his feet, but when he did the OL only allowed 36 sacks on the year (good for 11th in the NFL) and more impressively just 16 sacks in their final 10 games of the season, one of the best marks in the NFL over that span.

There’s continuity where it matters, and new faces where it’s important. To cap it all off the Panthers signed Andy Dalton to serve as a veteran mentor. Dalton is an unselfish sounding board in the twilight of his career who can easily help Young’s adjustment to the NFL.

This is all before we talk about the coaching staff Carolina has put in place, which is second-to-none among the rookie quarterbacks.

Far too much credit is given to Frank Reich as a “QB whisperer,” though he is known for coaxing talent out of the position. However, even if we push him to the side there’s a ludicrous safety net waiting for Bryce Young in Charlotte.

Josh McCown is widely considered one of the best quarterback coaches in the NFL. Now he’ll be working with Bryce. Parks Frazier helped organize the passing attack in Indianapolis. Now he’ll be working with Bryce. Jim Caldwell is a senior offensive assistant who will help the passing game as well. Bryce has another person in his corner.

Carolina has assembled a “who’s-who” of amazing offensive coaches and split them specifically into the more run-oriented side (offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and RB coach Deuce Staley) and the passing game consultants. Everything is designed to run a balanced offense that won’t ask Bryce to play hero ball early in his career, while developing the skills positions around him.

From the very first second it became clear that the Panthers were taking Bryce Young they did everything in their power to put him in a place to succeed. This might be the greatest landing spot not only of 2023, but perhaps ever — because of how much work was done to ensure Young wouldn’t fall through the cracks.

Bryce Young will make an immediate impact on the NFL. Many will credit his personal level of preparation and skill at the quarterback position. This could be true, but the unsung hero will be situation Carolina built for him.

I rest my case, your honor.

And now, judge Mark Schofield

Counsel, allow me a brief personal moment.

You see, years ago I promised my parents that, if I went to law school, I would be a judge someday.

Promises made, promises kept.

Turning our attention to the matter at hand. I have before me today two very persuasive arguments, and given the depth and attention to detail put forth by both counsel I feel compelled to address both arguments on their merit.

Counsel Acosta, representing Anthony Richardson, makes a strong case on his behalf. As Mr. Acosta notes, there is proof of concept at play here. Given what Shane Steichen accomplished with Jalen Hurts — advancing him from intriguing backup to, MVP candidate and, albeit briefly, the highest-paid player in NFL history — one can see a similar path for Richardson. Steichen can set him on the same path, relying on his athleticism early in his career while building out the rest of his skill-set from the pocket.

And there is a lot to work with.

Turning to Bryce Young. Mr. Dator makes a similarly persuasive argument, focusing on the coaching experience around the quarterback position. It is a compelling case. As Mr. Dator notes, not only do the Panthers have Frank Reich in the room — who was part of a coaching staff that turned another Eagles quarterback into an MVP candidate early in his career — but they also have Thomas Brown, Josh McCown, Parks Frazier, Duce Staley, and Jim Caldwell in the room.

That is a venerable “who’s who” of offensive experience.

Simply stated, I believe both quarterbacks are in a position to succeed next year. But my task today is not to state that, but to go beyond, and decide which rookie is in the best place to succeed.

I remain convinced that both are in a perfect landing spot. But I am most persuaded by the argument set forth by counsel for Bryce Young. Mr. Dator’s case, relying on the coaching staff and experience around the quarterback position, carries the day.

My judgement is in favor of Bryce Young.

I commend both counsel on their efforts and thank them for their attention to this matter.