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Finding yourself sharing a sentence with infamous NFL draft bust JaMarcus Russell is never a position a player wants to find themselves in but that’s exactly what’s happening with Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.
Bryce Young, the former Heiman Trophy-winning University of Alabama quarterback, was selected with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. And despite playing in just 18 NFL games under two different head coaches (and therefore offenses), the Panthers already seem to be pulling the plug on Young as it was announced earlier this week he’s being benched for veteran backup Andy Dalton.
Through two games this season, the 23-year-old Young has completed 55.4% of his passes for just 245 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions.
With Young’s career as a starting QB seemingly teetering on the brink of oblivion, the hot takes about how much of a draft bust he is have begun to unfurl, with Stephen A. Smith saying that he’s worse than JaMarcus Russell and may be the biggest draft bust in NFL history.
“It’s been an unmitigated disaster. I want to throw some numbers of there for you: in the last 10 games, the Carolina Panthers have led for only 10 seconds. That is an atrocity,” Smith began before doling out some hard data about Young’s career so far.
“We’re looking at Bryce Young right now: among 32 quarterbacks with at least 250 attempts, his record is 2-16, worst in the NFL. 59.3% completion percentage, dead last. 173.4 passing yards per game, 31st. The only person that was worse dating back to last season was Kenny Pickett. Last in yards per attempt, touchdown percentage, passer rating, and he’s completed just 38% of his passes with one touchdown and five interceptions when under pressure.”
Smith then uncorked the punchline of his hot take, saying that JaMarcus Russell wasn’t even this poor during his three seasons in the NFL.
“Ladies and gentlemen, JaMarcus Russell wasn’t even that bad, and you know how I feel about JaMarcus Russell. This is maybe the biggest bust in NFL history.”
While the Panthers insisted that Young is still their quarterback, all signs point to his tenure in Carolina coming to an unceremonious end sooner rather than later. Hopefully, similar to what we’re seeing with the likes of Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, Young will be able to get his career on track when he starts playing under a competent coaching staff.