Panthers News: Bryce Young, rankings slip, Austin Corbett and Jonathan Mingo

Carolina Panthers writer on Bryce Young concerns

We get it, Bryce Young is small. The jokes about it are growing pretty tiresome and completely overlook his exceptional production en route to the quarterback becoming the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.

If the Carolina Panthers are happy enough with the risks, fans should be too. This is an experienced coaching staff with a wealth of personal accolades at the highest level, and their thorough approach to the pre-draft assessment of all four top college prospects at the position kept bringing them back to Young.

Sure, he could get hurt. But as Darin Gantt of Panthers.com recently stated, Cam Newton was as big as they came and still suffered his fair share of long-term problems that eventually led to his early release in 2020.

"The concerns about Bryce Young's size are legitimate. I mean, he's not tall (source, my two eyes). But that's also the only real concern. He's done the thing, and he's good at it, and they didn't break him into a million pieces in the SEC. Nothing's a sure thing. Cam Newton came from another planet to the NFL, was once hit by a literal truck and was laying there smiling when the paramedics arrived, and kept playing until the physical toll became too much for him. And he's giant. Once normal-sized human Drew Brees got over that one shoulder thing, he played for another 15 years. Go figure."

- Darin Gantt, Panthers.com

Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. What the Panthers have done superbly this offseason is create an environment that insulates Young and will play to his strengths - which could be enough to keep him out of the firing line.

All it takes is one hit, obviously. But that is true whether you are Young's height or as big as the franchise quarterback he's succeeding.