Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud are the best two quarterback prospects in this year’s NFL Draft. But which one is better for the Carolina Panthers?
In a draft class loaded with talent, the Carolina Panthers hold the No. 1 overall pick and will certainly be looking to take their franchise quarterback of the future. With appearances at the pro days of Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, the rumors and speculation have seen a great uptick in recent weeks.
Overall, only the Panthers brass truly knows who they will take. But which quarterback should they take?
While both prospects have their elite traits and talents that any team would covet, I wanted to take a look at who excels at what.
For this comparison, I’ll be referencing the "5 Most Important Traits for Quarterback Prospects" article from Medium.
Carolina Panthers must consider physical makeup
Even though the league has seen its fair share of players who play bigger than their vitals, it’s still something teams want to be cautious of. Height and weight don’t necessarily tell who a better player is but they can scare franchises away from choosing one player over another.
The NFL is an entirely different animal. Professional players are much bigger, faster, and stronger than their college counterparts.
With C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young, one is larger than the other, as the Alabama product's weight has received much scrutiny from draft analysts and the media. While size didn’t stop him from balling out in college, it does raise eyebrows how a player under 6-foot and 200 pounds will hold up in the league.
Young is one of the toughest players to ever play in college football. Despite his small stature, he was able to put up big-time numbers that eclipsed those of just about everybody during his career.
Stroud, on the other hand, possesses the prototypical size for an NFL quarterback. At 6-foot-3 and almost 220 pounds, he has the ideal build teams look for in a signal-caller - certainly what Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich normally goes for - and thus he wins this round pretty easily.
Carolina Panthers must consider college production
Pro days and NFL Scouting Combine results are great for confirming if the incoming athletes are as speedy or strong as the tape says. But nothing beats the actual film itself.
Overall, I genuinely believe that if a player doesn’t show good traits or potential in college then they most likely won’t reach NFL stardom. It is important to see where the players come from, how they’ve improved over their college careers, and what skills can translate to the next level.
For Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, the two young gunslingers lit it up in college.
Young’s resume is very impressive and in my opinion, he’s one of the best college quarterbacks to never secure a national championship. He ranks second all-time in career passing yards and passing touchdowns in Alabama program history and holds the single-season records for each.
In 2021, the signal-caller became the first quarterback in school history to win the Heisman Trophy and swept all the major awards by adding the Maxwell, Davey O’Brien, and Manning Awards to his trophy case. Young was also named first-team All-American by AP the same year and led his team to a runner-up finish in the college football playoff.
Young added a Sugar Bowl MVP to his historic career.
Stroud also had a great career with the Ohio State Buckeyes, including a college football playoff appearance in 2022. He holds numerous Big Ten and school records including single-season passing yards and career passing efficiency.
The prospect also holds a plethora of Rose Bowl single-game records including total yards, touchdowns, and points responsible for acquiring. Stroud finished as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in both of his seasons as a starter and was named first-team All-Big Ten the past two years. In 2021, the signal-caller was named AP third-team All-American.
With both quarterbacks having impressive resumes and only being part of four team losses each over two years, this round is close. However, with the much-coveted Heisman Trophy in his bag, Young had a better college career, but how much weight the Carolina Panthers give to this remains to be seen.
Carolina Panthers must consider arm (and leg) talent
When I think of arm talent, two things come to mind: raw strength and the ability to make all the throws. The two quarterbacks most commonly associated with this are Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen simply because they excellent cannons that can reach any blade of grass on the football field.
However, Mahomes has the extra ability to make all the throws. This comes from contorting his body and making impossible throws look effortless.
I also added legs to this because the NFL is becoming a more mobile league. Thanks to pioneers like Randall Cunningham and Michael Vick, and more recently with former Carolina Panthers icon Cam Newton and Lamar Jackson, the league is desperate for more electric players under center who do just as much damage with their legs as they do with their arm.
C.J. Stroud undoubtedly has a stronger arm. He can throw it with zip and beat teams in an all-out aerial attack. The former Ohio State product threw more than 40 touchdowns in each of his seasons with the Buckeyes and wowed at the NFL Scouting Combine with his textbook deep ball accuracy.
Stroud also showed surprisingly great athletic ability during the college football playoff semi-final game against the Georgia Bulldogs, proving that he can make plays with his legs when needed.
Bryce Young is a master at making all the throws. While his arm strength isn’t that of Stroud’s, it’s still more than enough to play in the NFL at a high level.
Some of his throws have too much air under them, but it’s not enough to think twice about selecting him as the future of a franchise. While his smaller frame may attribute to a weaker arm than some of his future peers, Young can control the ball and turn impossible throws into first downs and touchdowns.
The former Heisman Trophy winner also can be a great playmaker with his legs. He has seven rushing touchdowns in his two seasons as a starter.
While both quarterbacks showcase great ability in this category, Young’s proven ability to be a threat as a runner and passer give him the edge here.
Carolina Panthers must consider accuracy/ball placement
Quarterbacks need to be able to put the ball in the perfect spot for their playmakers at the professional level as windows are tighter and defenders are faster at tracking the ball. Luckily for both Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, they are elite in this area of the game.
Stroud is very much a ball-placement expert. If his college tape didn't show enough, his NFL Scouting Combine performance proved just that.
The signal-caller lit it up with perfect accuracy on just about every pass and route called at the combine. His deep ball was on point and everything underneath was nearly perfect.
While he had the luxury of throwing to a plethora of future NFL talent, Stroud’s accuracy should not be overlooked. The one-time Buckeye standout completed 69.3 percent of his passes throughout his career and is fourth in NCAA history in player efficiency rating.
Young is very impressive in this regard as well. With a career completion percentage of 65.8 percent and ranking No. 7 in SEC history in player efficiency rating, the best quarterback in Alabama history is a special passer in his own right.
He displays great ball placement, posting elite numbers with less NFL talent than Crimson Tide quarterbacks have had in years past. However, Stroud wins this round due to him being one of the most accurate and efficient quarterbacks in NCAA history and entering the draft process as one of the most highly touted ball placers in recent memory.
Something the Carolina Panthers have sorely lacked in any quarterback since Cam Newton was dominating the league.
Carolina Panthers must consider intangibles
Last but certainly not least, is the X-factor. In my opinion, the most important attribute any quarterback can have is poise and willpower.
The best quarterbacks have that extra it-factor that can will their team to a victory when the deck is stacked against them. Even in the NFL, there are only a few who provide a chance to win every game no matter the opponent. Names like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and the aforementioned Patrick Mahomes come to mind.
C.J. Stroud showed so much throughout a glittering career and in his final college game, put on the best show he possibly could. He showed indomitable will against one of the greatest college football teams ever and leaped himself into the conversation for top overall selection.
While Stroud never faced much pressure in college up until that point, the prospect proved that he has the skills and poise necessary to succeed at the next level.
Few prospects have been as calm, cool, and collected as Bryce Young in college football. He never once was rattled and three out of four losses he experienced at Alabama came by three or fewer points.
Young possesses an uncanny amount of poise and words can’t begin to describe his toughness on the field. He wins this round against just about any quarterback prospect of the past decade.
The Carolina Panthers cannot go wrong with the first draft pick. Young and Stroud are fantastic prospects, and the team would be lucky to have either as the future of the franchise.
I give Young the slightest edge over Stroud here. But there is so much to like about both prospects that fans should be ecstatic no matter what.