Panthers News: Sam Darnold, Bryce Young, Steve Smith Sr. and D.J. Moore
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers news stories are hitting the headlines as the team closed out its first official set of organized team activities of the summer?
As the Carolina Panthers begin analyzing a productive three days of OTAs to formally begin their offseason workouts, the players have a few days to rest and recuperate before coming together once again for their latest batch of practices next week. While there is plenty of excitement for the future, some old faces have been taking up plenty of column inches lately, which is always something fans like to monitor.
Among the stories causing debate recently include Bryce Young's recent ranking before his rookie campaign, D.J. Moore drawing rave reviews elsewhere, Steve Smith Sr. and Muhsin Muhammad's emotional podcast, and Sam Darnold taking things one day at a time.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young ranked
Bryce Young is never going to be in the higher echelons of NFL quarterback rankings before he's played a down. But if the Carolina Panthers' No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft performs as expected right out of the gate, that could change this time next year.
Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus was more generous than most, placing Young at No. 25 on his list ahead of players such as Jordan Love, Sam Howell, Desmond Ridder, and the two quarterbacks that went just after the Alabama product - C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson.
"Young was the best quarterback in this draft by a considerable margin, and the only thing that made the discussion close was his lack of size — something that becomes obvious any time he is captured on film with anything near him to show true scale. Young has elite accuracy, anticipation and decision-making (back-to-back seasons with a 2.0% turnover-worthy play rate), but success at his size in the modern NFL is without precedent."
- Sam Monson, Pro Football Focus
It's been a promising start to the preparation period for Young. But the signal-caller is under no illusions as to the amount of work ahead before he suits up in Week 1 at the Atlanta Falcons.