Bryce Young shuts down remaining pre-draft visits and is now an overwhelming favorite to be the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft
For quite some time, C.J. Stroud looked like the quarterback that the Carolina Panthers were targeting after trading for the No. 1 pick — a selection that once belonged to the Chicago Bears. However, things have seemingly changed over the past couple of weeks, with Alabama star Bryce Young now looking like the apple of Carolina’s eye. That was reaffirmed on Monday, April 17th, when Young canceled his remaining pre-draft visits.
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Alabama QB Bryce Young has canceled his remaining pre-draft visits, per sources — another sign to back up belief within the league that the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner will be the #Panthers’ pick at No. 1 overall.
Young also visited the #Texans, who draft No. 2. pic.twitter.com/3Pg53t15ce
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 17, 2023
Young has now met with the Panthers and Houston Texans, so his camp clearly believes that slipping to No. 3 is no longer a possibility. But the timing of this certainly does make it seem like Young is heading to Carolina, and the oddsmakers seems to agree. Young is now a -1800 favorite to be picked first on DraftKings Sportsbook, which is a very significant jump. Earlier on Monday, Young was listed at -450.
Our very own Michael Lombardi has been banging the drum for Young to go first in the draft, and now it seems like everybody is on the same page. Young is a bit undersized at the quarterback position, but his intangibles make it easy to believe that he’ll find a way to overcome that. Young has done so at every stage of his career thus far. He’s coming off a year in which he threw for 3,328 yards with 32 touchdowns and only five picks, and that just the follow-up for a 2021 season in which he won the Heisman Trophy.
Young is a natural-born leader that understands the nuances of the quarterback position and can make all the throws — even on the move. His size might seem like a big flaw to some, but he does everything else at a high level. Young is exactly the type of player you want as the face of your franchise, and his decision not to abandon his teammates in the Sugar Bowl says everything you need to know about his character.
It’ll be interesting to see how the NFL Draft markets change moving forward, but the focus now moves to the No. 2 pick. Will the Texans stay put and draft Stroud or Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr.? Or will Houston move the pick to a team that’s a bit more desperate for a quarterback than they are? Lombardi has some thoughts on Houston’s situation. Make sure you check them out before the next NFL Draft bombshell drops.
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