NFL Rumors: ‘Growing Buzz’ Panthers Draft Bryce Young Over C.J. Stroud at No. 1 Pick | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

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Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud has been the quarterback projected to the Carolina Panthers with the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NFL draft in multiple mock drafts, but that might not end up being the case.

Joseph Person of The Athletic reported “there’s a growing buzz surrounding Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and the Panthers.”

Peter King echoed those sentiments when he noted in his Football Morning in America column that “Young has a lot of fans in high places in the organization.”

Both were excellent quarterbacks at college powerhouses who thrived under the national spotlight in some of the biggest games. Young is more mobile than Stroud, but the latter proved he can run during a brilliant individual performance in the College Football Playoff against a strong Georgia defense.

Size may be the biggest difference, with King pointing out “if Young plays at 5-10 and, say, 198, he’ll be one of the smallest quarterbacks ever, obviously, in the NFL. Not just short, but slim.”

That could be a concern against NFL defensive fronts, but Young is known as a distributor of the ball who can get rid of it quickly. He can also evade pressure with his legs and keep his eyes downfield, allowing him to extend opportunities and turn them into game-changing yards.

Carolina traded up for the No. 1 pick to presumably land its next franchise quarterback.

For now, momentum may be trending toward that quarterback being Young.