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The Carolina Panthers finished their first Organized Team Activity practice on Monday, and with all eyes on rookie quarterback Bryce Young, the Alabama product reportedly made a great first impression.
Panthers head coach Frank Reich said that Young's command was “10 out of 10” on Day 1, according to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe. Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton also noted that Young recognized a mislabeled tag on a call sheet, highlighting his attention to detail.
Although Wolfe reported last week on NFL Network that Young would be the No. 2 quarterback going into OTAs, he's already turning heads across the organization.
“Panthers offensive coordinator Thomas Brown told me this week that Bryce Young is looking really good so far, as good as advertised after they saw him at rookie mini-camps so far, and coach Frank Reich made clear that Bryce Young is going to be the No. 2 quarterback behind Andy Dalton when they start OTAs,” Wolfe explained.
“But…Bryce Young is going to get first-team reps, and from talking to people here in Carolina, although they want Bryce to earn that job, I would be surprised if he is not that Week 1 starter. Bryce has made it clear he's not entitled to anything being the top pick, but they've also seen the recall that he's already shown for plays, the ability for him not to get rattled.”
Carolina Panthers just finished their 1st OTA practice today. All eyes were and will be on Bryce Young.
My @NFLTotalAccess report from late last week on the early impression Young has made already: pic.twitter.com/QakpUqrCal
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) May 22, 2023
Brown also told Wolfe that the team has been extremely impressed with the way Bryce Young controls the field every time he has the ball in his hands.
“What they love about Bryce is that he's always in control, he led college football in passing yards and touchdowns under pressure, and they believe that is going to translate over into the NFL,” Wolfe said.
“They're trying to create a quarterback friendly scheme for Bryce, get a lot of motion, get a lot of pre-snap motion, and some RPOs as well so he can get the ball to those playmakers, and be the point guard they drafted him to be.”
Based on Day 1 of OTAs, it's so far, so good for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.