Are Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers contenders? What to expect of the first overall pick

With the first overall pick in the NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young out of Alabama.

Some people are going to have this as the best pick the Panthers could’ve made while others might've wanted a different quarterback here. While they could easily have done that, they went with what could be called the safest quarterback prospect.

Is this enough to change the fortunes of the NFC South franchise? Following multiple seasons of disappointment, the Panthers saw some resurgence after a poor start to the 2022 season.

Carlina is currently in a golden position to walk in with their new QB and be good enough to make the playoffs. Let's not forget that they nearly made it last year with a 7-10 record. They’ll have an easier NFC South with the current QB competition being Baker Mayfield, Derek Carr, and Desmond Ridder.

Ridder started four games in 2022 throwing for 708 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions to go along with a solid 63.5% completion percentage. Carr, meanwhile, is a successful and proven starter but he’s going on 32 and there are questions about his ability to take a team all the way.

Baker Mayfield is something of an enigma. He might play really well with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, or maybe he won't and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will struggle.

Even with that, the Saints will probably be the Panthers' biggest competition in the South, and there is a real chance Carolina can do it.

Are the Panthers Super Bowl contenders with Bryce Young? Probably not, but they can get to the playoffs and from there, anything can happen.

What to expect of Bryce Young in his first NFL season as the Panthers QB

While Bryce Young is a bit smaller, with all the film everyone saw of him at Alabama that doesn’t seem to be a factor. Even with the college-to-NFL transition he’s gonna be the starter the Panthers need to have a chance at the NFC South.

The current Carolina roster will be a great place to start, with Adam Thielen being a very solid target and Miles Sanders being an incredible asset out of the backfield. D.J. Chark is going to be great at WR2 and Hayden Hurst will be an incredible safety net after all he’s done with the Cincinnati Bengals' pass-heavy offense.

Expect to see Bryce Young play with the same energy as he did in Alabama, and don't be surprised when he tucks it and runs.

There may be a shaky transition into the big league, but Young really could be the franchise QB the Panthers have been looking for.