Panthers GM compares Bryce Young to Russell Wilson, but won't say decision is made
The Carolina Panthers have been on the clock with the first overall pick of the NFL Draft for more than a month, but they say they haven't finalized their decision on who the pick will be.
However, at this point it would surprise everyone if the pick is not Bryce Young.
Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer talked to the media Tuesday and said the team has "a lot of clarity" but they have not told Young he's the pick and won't officially make the call until later this week, via Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network. Not that anybody really believes the pick isn't practically set already.
All indications, a little more than a week before the draft, point to Young being the pick. That includes a favorable comparison to Russell Wilson by the Panthers' GM.
A Bryce Young-Russell Wilson comparison
The one knock on Young is his size, but that doesn't seem to be an issue for the Panthers.
On Tuesday, Fitterer pointed out that Young had two passes batted down his final season at Alabama, and Wilson had three in his final college season.
That's not a random comparison. Fitterer was in the Seahawks' front office or a scout for the team from 2001-2020. The Seahawks drafted Wilson in 2012, when Fitterer was the team's director of college scouting. Wilson went to nine Pro Bowls with the Seahawks after he was a third-round pick.
He had a tremendous college career including a great final season at Wisconsin, but he fell in the draft because he was 5-foot-11. The Seahawks had a lot of success, including a Super Bowl championship, with a quarterback who was considered too short by most NFL standards.
Young is a shade taller than 5-10.
Panthers 'are convicted' on top pick
Fitterer wouldn't rule out a last-minute trade from the No. 1 spot, saying “We’ll always pick up the phone and listen," but that's just being smart in the lead-up to the draft. It would be wrong to rule out anything.
Realistically, the Panthers made their big move to trade up with the Chicago Bears and had a very good idea which quarterback they wanted to draft. And all signs point to the pick being Young.
"We like where we are at. I'll always pick up the phone and listen philosophically," Fitterer said, via Wolfe. "But we are convicted."
There was some buzz that the Panthers had informed Young of the decision after Young canceled all his remaining visits with other teams, but Fitterer said that decision was made by Young's camp. Perhaps Young and his people are connecting the same dots everyone else is.
Barring a last-minute change or a complete surprise, we probably know who the first overall pick will be. Then the intrigue starts at No. 2 overall.
