Is Bryce Young Set Up for Success in Carolina? Cam Newton Says, 'No!'
The Carolina Panthers have had the number-one overall pick twice in franchise history. On both occasions, they took a quarterback.
In 2011, they took Cam Newton out of Auburn which ended up being a slam dunk pick. And this past spring, they took Bryce Young out of Alabama, who is off to a slow start to his pro career.
Despite the early season struggles from both Young and the team, Newton feels good about the new face of the franchise. But he is, however, a little concerned about the overall talent around him.
During a recent appearance on the KJ ALL Day show with KJ Wright, Newton went in-depth about how the Panthers need to do a better job of giving Bryce Young some help.
"I believe in Bryce. But I think you have to raise him with care. I think a person like Bryce could be scarred just like any other quarterback could be scarred if thrown to the wolves too early. When you're dealing with a talent like Bryce Young, it's the long tenure rather than right now success.
When asked if Young has enough around him, Cam answered, "No. I see the receiver skill set, yes. You see [Adam] Thielen, you see [DJ] Chark, you see the tight end [Hayden Hurst]. But from top to bottom, it's not set up for him to be successful, especially not his rookie year. Everything Carolina is and building -- will they get to that point? Yes. Throwing him into the wolves and expecting instant success...that's not the quarterback's position. What I will say is it's going to take a season for him to kind of see the preparation, seeing the tempo of the game, seeing in-game adjustments at its finest.
"Shucks, you take anybody, I mean look at Patrick Mahomes. If Patrick Mahomes would have been instant starter, would he have the success that he's had now? I would beg to differ. I don't think he would. Having a guy like Alex Smith to play in front of him, having a defense, building the skill set around him putting him in the best situation possible [helped him be successful]."
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