Panthers News: Bryce Young, Jadeveon Clowney, Russell Okung and Hayden Hurst

Carolina Panthers momentum with Bryce Young is 'real'

As debates rage on about the No. 1 overall selection and which way the Carolina Panthers should go, one of the most respected insiders in the business added further weight to the recent momentum surrounding Bryce Young. This comes on the back of ESPN's Chris Mortensen highlighting the former Alabama stud will be their guy atop the 2023 NFL Draft. 

In Peter King's latest Football Morning in America column, he echoed Mortensen's sentiments about influential people in Carolina being high on Young. The writer added that if he was chosen over C.J. Stroud, it's another example of how the game is changing and talent is being perceived.

"I agree with (Chris) Mortensen that it’s not a done deal, but the momentum toward (Bryce) Young is real. What’s interesting if the 5-10 Young goes before the 6-3 (and accomplished) C.J. Stroud is how it signifies how much the game has changed over the past few years. Young likes people comparing him to a point guard, a distributor of the ball to the open man, because it illustrates a lot about modern quarterbacking. In today’s game, a short quarterback can work better than a generation ago because it’s more of a horizontal, short-passing game overall."

- Peter King, NBC Sports

The risks are obvious if the Panthers went with Young. The signal-caller is not only small, but his slender build could lead to complications if the offensive line doesn't hold up its end of the bargain. 

However, the reward could be exceptional thanks to his majestic pocket manipulation, ability to make every throw, and elite-level processing. So it's not hard to see why Carolina's brass are rumored to be so enticed.