Carolina Panthers cornerback DJ Clark has stated that NFL rookie QB Bryce Young has already won over the locker room, from the veterans on the team down to the rookies.
Young was the first-overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft at just 21 years old. Despite his young age, the Panther's corner shared his belief that Young has the tools to be a franchise QB and possibly compete for an NFL Super Bowl.
"Everybody is here for him," said Clark to the Carolina Panthers during minicamp about Young. "We believe he can take us to some really high places. It's hard not to like that kid. He's put quite a stamp on the locker room. He walks around with this kind of - excuse my language - 'humble, but I know I'm the s**t' type of swag. You know? He's got it, but he's humble with it."
Clark wasn't the only member of the Panther organisation to shower Young with praise. As the team wrapped up their minicamp before the start of next season, defensive back Donte Jackson also voiced his excitement for the addition of the young quarterback.
"We knew we were going to get a dawg," said Jackson. "We're definitely happy with the dawg we got. He's different."
Panthers Head Coach Frank Reich also shared his thoughts to the Carolina Panthers' official YouTube channel about Young during the minicamp. He revealed how the young QB had impressed the team with his leadership qualities and what he provides as a passer.
"He did everything right, the little throw-out in the flats, the little bubble screen stuff that people overthrow," coach Reich saidy. "He threw with accuracy, saw it well, knew where guys were supposed to be."
"I actually thought we'd see a whole lot more balls batted down since we're not going live, and we're telling them not to hit the quarterback," Reich added.
Young has yet to be officially declared as Carolina's starter heading into the next season, with him and 13-year veteran QB Andy Dalton getting the chance to take snaps with the first-string offense during the preseason. Dalton initially assumed all the first teamwork at the beginning of the offseason but has since seen Young take the first-team snaps as camp progressed.
Young's progression and how his teammates rave about his presence indicate that he could be the starter for the franchise in Week 1. He has stressed the importance of earning the starting position and being held accountable for his actions now that he's reached the professional level, as well as what he believes a team's mentality needs to be successful.
"It's great to be in a locker room where, first and foremost, we hold ourselves accountable," he said. "We look in the mirror first. Because of that, we all kind of have that mentality. We can lean on each other to pick each other up."
Young's teammates shared that they also believe his leadership qualities will be contagious and rub off on the rest of the team, sipping them with a much-needed culture change after missing out on the NFL Playoffs in 2017, where they lost in the Wild Card Round to the New Orleans Saints.
