The 2023 NFL draft saw two top star QB prospects battle for the right to be picked first overall. Heading into draft day, all the talk was about Alabama QB Bryce Young and OSU QB CJ Stroud. Young was projected to go to the Carolina Panthers with the first overall pick, with Stroud going to the Houston Texans. Despite that, there were still rumors of Stroud potentially being the guy for Carolina.
Well, the first round of the 2023 NFL draft came, and Young did go to the Panthers, with Stroud ending up on the Texans. Stroud is currently having an excellent start to his career by rookie standards, while Young has struggled this season. These factors have led fans to wonder if the Panthers have buyer's remorse about picking Young.
Do Panthers have buyer's remorse in selecting Bryce Young?
In his five games this season for the Panthers, Bryce Young is 0-5 with a 63.2% completion rate, a 32.4 QBR, and six touchdowns to four interceptions. Meanwhile, CJ Stroud is performing much better this season: 3-3 record, 59.6% completion rate, 55.3 QBR, and nine touchdowns to one interception. The Texans are competing for the AFC South, while the Panthers sit at the bottom of a lowly NFC South.
All of this has fans thinking about the decision to draft Young. Leading into the draft, there were rumors of a disconnect between new coach Frank Reich and owner Scott Fitterer. Fitterer preferred Young, while Reich preferred the taller Stroud. In the end, Fitterer won by selecting Young.
There were some comments from Reich that seemingly was a shot at Young, but these were ultimately brushed off. Still, saying that the Panthers should regret taking Bryce Young over CJ Stroud is a short-sighted take for multiple reasons.
Too early for buyer's remorse
For one, five games (or six in Stroud's case) is way too small of a sample size to draw any conclusions. Hell, a seventeen-game season is still a small sample size to determine a player's career path. Plenty of star quarterbacks had positively terrible first seasons before acclimating to the league fully. Young might have been an “NFL-ready” QB out of college, but there's a lot of things he needs to learn still.
The Panthers drafted Young with the knowledge that he won't necessarily be an elite QB in Week 1. There was hope that he could seamlessly transition into the pros, but that was a pipe dream at best. Carolina is looking to develop Young. Mistakes in Year 1 are expected. Already, we're seeing some signs of growth from Young, with improvements to his deliveries and a building rapport with Adam Thielen.
Speaking of which…
Texans have a better situation than Panthers
A comparison between Stroud and Young's performance feels unfair, especially considering the talent they have around them. A big reason for Houston's success this season is the emergence of Nico Collins as a solid WR1, Tank Dell as a reliable piece, and Robert Woods being the veteran WR the team needs. Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary have struggled this season, but they also possess potential as an elite RB duo.
Meanwhile, the Panthers have surrounded Young with unattractive pieces on offense. Thielen is currently the team's WR1… and it's not a good thing for your rookie QB's best receiver to be a 33-year-old vet. DJ Chark and Jonathan Mingo have also been rather underwhelming. Their rushing attack with Miles Sanders and Chubba Hubbard has been disappointing as well.
Both teams have offensive line issues that have been a distraction for their QBs. At the very least, though, the Texans have an All-Pro blindside blocker in Laremy Tunsil when he's healthy. Meanwhile, the Panthers' LT, Ikem Ekwonu, is still struggling to find consistency in his sophomore year.
What's the point of all this? Well, the point is that had the situations been reversed, there's no guarantee that CJ Stroud would perform better than Bryce Young on the Panthers. Mulling over buyer's remorse is pointless when the buyer hasn't put the item they have in the best scenario possible.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the Panthers (both the coaches and the fans) need to exercise patience with Bryce Young. Young is still, well, young, and he's not going to be the franchise QB from Day 1. He needs time to adjust to NFL defenses. His awareness is sometimes lacking, and he takes nasty hits that could be avoided with the proper read.
That being said, Young has shown the ability to lead an offense in the NFL. There are times where you can see his talent shine on the field. The Panthers' focus shouldn't be on regretting the pick, but rather maxim
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