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When the Carolina Panthers acquired the #1 overall pick in the NFL Draft from the Chicago Bears earlier this year, reports at the time indicated that the team was leaning towards selecting Ohio State University quarterback C.J. Stroud over University of Alabama signal-caller Bryce Young.
Now that a few months have passed, however, the bookies in Las Vegas appear to believe that the Heisman trophy-winning Young will be selected by the Panthers, as the former Crimson Tide QB now has odds of -300 to be taken #1 overall. Stroud, conversely, who had odds of -300 to go #1 overall in mid-March, now sits at +210.
According to some NFL analysts, the Panthers could become an immediate contender in the NFC South if they are able to land a franchise quarterback in this month’s draft, which is being held outside Kansas City’s Union Station from Thursday, April 27 to Saturday, April 29.
While Young is largely considered to be a can’t-miss prospect, there have been concerns about his durability in the National Football League, as he measured in at 5′ 10″ and 204 pounds at the NFL Combine earlier this year, which is relatively small for a quarterback in the league.
On the field, however, Young is clearly worthy of being the top choice in the draft. During his two seasons as the starting quarterback at the University of Alabama, Young completed 64% of his passes for 3,328 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just five interceptions during the 2022 season.
Young’s best college season was during 2021, which saw him complete 67% of his passes for a career-high 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Following the Panthers in the top five picks are the similarly quarterback-needy Houston Texans at #2, the Arizona Cardinals — who have reportedly fielded trade offers for the pick — at #3, the Indianapolis Colts at #4, and the Seattle Seahawks, courtesy of the Russell Wilson trade with the Broncos, at #5.
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