3 Panthers on Thin Ice Following the NFL Draft

3. Bryce Young - QB

Bryce Young has no danger of losing his job, but he should be feeling the pressure. There are no excuses anymore after all of the draft capital Dan Morgan spent on offense, and Carolina is already projected to find a new QB in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Xavier Legette, Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen, Jonathan Mingo, and Ja'Tavion Sanders form a legitimately dangerous pass-catching core. Jonathon Brooks and Chubba Hubbard are a dangerous one-two punch in the backfield, so Young needs to prove he was worth spending the No. 1 overall pick on.

He completed just 59.8% of his passes in 2023 with only 11 TDs to 10 interceptions while taking a whopping 62 sacks. That level of production would be unacceptable in Young's second year. If he doesn't improve, the Panthers will need to seriously consider moving on after the season using the likely top-five pick they'd have in that scenario.

To his credit, Young didn't have much of a chance to succeed last year. He was running for his life behind a poor offensive line with wide receivers who struggled to separate outside of Thielen. Not many QBs would have found success in that situation, but the Panthers can't afford to be patient for too long.

Young still has fantastic tools and good mobility. He can be the answer to Carolina's problems, though he needs to deliver to quiet the doubters.

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