Bryce Young "surprised" new Carolina Panthers teammates in practice

21 June 2023 , 17:31

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Bryce Young is already convincing his teammates that he should be the day one starter

New Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen has sung the praises of their rookie quarterback Bryce Young after his impressive practices.

The first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Young was seen as the best prospect in the class, but there had been concerns about his height - being one of the smallest quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL.

But Thielen has suggested that Young has already won the veteran players on the team over that he should be the day one starter heading into the season - even catching a few player off-guard with his level of understanding and maturity.

Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, Thielen said: "You know, first overall pick, with all the hype and all that, you know there’s gonna be a lot of potential and you know he’s gonna have a lot of talent.

"But I think he just kinda surprised a lot of guys of how prepared he was for the NFL game. I think sometimes it’s hard in those moments - because you’re in shorts and t-shirt, right?

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"So you don’t wanna too excited about - whether that’s your team or individually - you don’t wanna get too excited in the summer because it’s a different game when you put pads on.

"But at the same time, the way he moves in the pocket, the way that he adjusts and can get the ball out on time and accurate and he can make adjustments and things like that. It’s impressive. It gets you excited to get back working together."

At Alabama, Young proved himself to be one of the best quarterbacks at the collegiate level - going on to win the Heisman Trophy in 2021. He would go on to be drafted first overall by the Panthers, who selected him above fellow QB prospects CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis.

Young has impressed a number of teammates in training

He had been expected to be the back-up throughout the first few weeks of the off-season and into training camp, but is already said to have earned the number one spot.

Young has been at every practice with the team throughout the off-season, in OTA's, rookie minicamp and mandatory minicamp. However, the players are yet to practice in pads as of yet, with Young yet to truly come up against the Panthers defensive unit.

NFL teams will now be away for the next five weeks, ahead of training camp getting underway in late July ahead of pre-season in August.

Charlie Wilson