While Paul Finebaum threw a pointed comment at the Carolina Panthers, quarterback Bryce Young had to ponder his future — perhaps with another team. And former NFL standout Michael Vick said he had concerns about Bryce Young after sizing him up.
Vick said Young simply never looked the part, according to his comments on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, posted on YouTube.
“This is the cool part about this, it could be six weeks from now, it could be 10 weeks from now,” Vick said. “You get a chance to show us. Look man, I’ve learned, I’ve matured, (and) I’ve worked on my body. I’ve gotten stronger.”
Panthers QB Bryce Young has battled size issue
When Young first lined up with his Panthers’ teammates, photos went viral about how out of place the 5-foot-10, 204-pounder looked among the NFL giants. Young himself knew the issue stood out as he told The Charlotte Observer’s Scott Fowler.
“I’m myself, I know who I am, I’m confident in my abilities,” Young said. “For me, I don’t know how to play the game another way. I’ve been this size relative to the people around me for my entire life. … I can’t grow. I can’t get any taller.”
And that’s one thing, perhaps, that contributed to his lack of success so far in the NFL. He is 2-16 as the starting quarterback, and his completion percentage is a meek 59% with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 18 career games. Vick said size matters for Young.
“That’s the one thing when I’ve seen Bryce Young that concerned me,” Vick said. “I’ve seen a couple quarterbacks over the years. And I size them up and I look at their stature because I know what they’re about to go through. And so I can determine really quickly if they’re going to have instant success, or if they’re going to be able to sustain from a physical standpoint.”
It shows what a couple of inches matter in the NFL. Vick stood only 6-feet tall and weighed just six more pounds than Young. Both were No. 1 overall picks, Young in 2023 and Vick in 2001. But Vick play for 13 seasons, finishing with a career record of 61-51-1. He passed for 22,464 yards with 133 touchdowns while also rushing for 6,109 yards with 36 more scores.
Another thing that hurts Young is his lacking of rushing threat. He gained only 253 yards on the ground in 2023. This year in two games, he carried five times for 18 yards. He has one career rushing touchdown.