Hall of Fame NFL quarterback says we don't know Bryce Young's ceiling

Steve Young is a fan of the Carolina Panthers' young signal-caller.

Tim Weaver | 16 Hours Ago

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 22: Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers carries the ball during the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Bank of America Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images)

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Not a lot of players get a soft landing in the NFL, even if they come into the league with a ton of hype. More often than not they struggle for a few seasons before finding their footing. In recent years we've seen a bunch of examples of quarterbacks growing into stars two or three or even five years after they get drafted.

If the Buffalo Bills had given up on Josh Allen after his terrible first two seasons we may never have seen the MVP contender he is today. More recent examples of late-blooming quarterbacks include Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield, who both enjoyed a renaissance after working with Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales.

This year the big late bloomers are Sam Darnold and increasingly Bryce Young, who have both bombed for the Panthers in the past but appear to be growing into something special (Darnold is a bit further along in this process). One guy who went through a similar tough start to his NFL career was Hall of Famer Steve Young, who apparently seems similarities between himself and Bryce. Here's what he said about the younger Young in a recent appearance on Pardon My Take, per Krysyan Edler at the Deseret News.

Steve Young on Bryce Young's ceiling

“There’s some guys that hit the pro game who have really thrived in college who look prototype. Bryce looks throw prototype. Probably not (as) big (and) as strong as the prototypes but runs around, makes big plays and been in the big games... Bryce doesn’t know his ceiling. We don’t know his ceiling, and there’s filters he’s got to go through even if he got all of that help.”

Young is of course correct. It's far too early in Bryce's career to make any definitive judgments about what kind of quarterback he can be. There are a lot of positive signs, though.

Young's traditional numbers for the 2024 season are going to be toast thanks to the awful start he had in Weeks 1-2, being benched for five games and the recent stinker against Dallas won't help, either. However, since he returned to the linup around midseason, Young has been one of the best throwers of the football in the league - especially when it comes to targeting receivers deep.

This past week, Pro Football Focus gave Young the highest grade of his career at 91.7, which was also the best grade of any quarterback in Week 16. That Young's passing performance has grown so quickly makes his long-term potential all the more enticing.

If the Panthers can get a better receiver corps around him and he continues to develop, by this time next year we may be talking about Young as one of the best under-25 quarterbacks in the game.