Why did the Carolina Panthers draft Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud?

Here's why the Carolina Panthers chose Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud with their first pick in the NFL Draft.


Why did the Carolina Panthers draft Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud?

Bryce Young was the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft 2023. (IMAGE: GETTY Images)

The first round of the NFL Draft 2023 has recently concluded. The round was a dream come true for all the athletes, as their lifelong dream of playing in the NFL has become a reality. While the results of the first round were pretty obvious for some players, there were also some shockers as players who were expected to be a Top-5 pick fell further than analysts had predicted.

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The biggest debate in the run-up to the 2023 NFL Draft was who would be the first pick this year. Fans were certain that the top 2 picks would be quarterbacks Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, but the order in which the duo would be drafted was subject to a lot of speculation. However, after the end of the first round, the verdict is out now.

The Carolina Panthers had the first pick in the draft this year, and the team was in dire need of a quarterback. After doing a detailed analysis and comparing the merits and demerits of each QB, the team decided to draft Bryce Young, the QB out of Alabama as the first pick in this year’s draft over his competitor C.J. Stroud.


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Here’s why Bryce Young was picked over C.J. Stroud

C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young.
C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young. (IMAGE: USA Today/ GETTY Images)

Bryce Young has established himself to be one of the most reliable and consistent players in football. The winner of the 2021 Heisman Trophy ranks second in total career passing yards at Alabama and second at touchdowns in just two years of playing. Despite being 5’10”, Bryce’s skillset is not just limited to being a pocket passer, he is able to take advantage of his high on-field IQ and make smart plays in unexpected situations. He takes the edge over his Ohio State counterpart C.J. Stroud in here, who is largely a pocket passer.

Stroud is not the best at improvising and shies away from physical contact. Bryce Young’s accuracy, combined with his football IQ, and mobility are the perfect combination that a team in the NFL could use. Young has shown on multiple occasions that he can get the ball out of his hands in an instant and do so effectively.

While Stroud’s accuracy is commendable as well, it primarily comes down to ball placement. With Stroud, he has the tendency to throw to targets when they are heavily guarded and hopes that they will be able to catch the pass. With Bryce Young, he understands that throwing the ball to a wideout is out of the question, and due to his ability to make quick decisions on the go, he can still finish out the play by converting a pass to another receiver or running it himself.

While C.J. Stroud has the size, the passing game, and the mobility to be a dynamic QB, he is not the best at handling pressure within the pocket. When the pocket is collapsing, he tends to panic and make rash decisions and during his time at OSU, there were numerous occasions wherein the QB appeared to double-check if his targets were open before he threw the ball to them which in the NFL would be impossible to do considering the pace of the game.

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Bryce Young gets the edge over his history of having been consistent and his ability to handle pressure is much better than any of the other competitors. While he does lack the size and structure to be considered an ideal QB, the other skills and intangibles that he has made up for it. Carolina is looking for a new QB who can bring life into their locker room, one who can be respected, and one who has a history of having been under pressure on numerous occasions. Young pretty much fulfills every requirement of the team and, due to all the above factors, was the obvious choice for the Panthers over C.J. Stroud.

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