Bryce Young Ranked Low in Sporting News NFL Quarterback Rankings
The NFL community seems to have forgotten Bryce Young's impressive resume, which includes accolades like a national championship, a Heisman Trophy, and being the consensus number one overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Despite these achievements, Young's rookie season with the Carolina Panthers was underwhelming, partly due to his performance and partly due to the poor circumstances surrounding him. While some are hopeful for a breakout in his second year, others are convinced he remains a bottom-tier NFL quarterback.
Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer recently ranked NFL starting quarterbacks, placing Bryce Young at 28th overall, just ahead of players like Bo Nix, Sam Darnold, Gardner Minshew, and Drake Maye. However, the most surprising aspect of these rankings is that Young is ranked behind rookie quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. Both Williams and Daniels have bright futures, but ranking them above Young before they've even played a regular-season NFL game seems questionable.
Relying solely on collegiate accomplishments to rank these quarterbacks is misleading. While all three are Heisman Trophy winners, Bryce Young is the only one who has competed in the College Football Playoff and has led his team to a game-winning drive in the NFL. Additionally, the careers of these three quarterbacks are now intertwined, especially since Williams was drafted by the Bears with a pick that originally belonged to the Panthers before they traded it for the rights to Bryce Young.
In a few months, these rankings might seem more justified, but for now, placing rookies like Williams and Daniels above Young before they’ve proven themselves in the NFL seems premature. If Young's recent preseason performance is any indication, these rankings might soon appear shortsighted.