After the Carolina Panthers traded up with the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, they were faced with a decision.
There were two quarterbacks vying to be the top pick: Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. Carolina went with Young, leaving the Houston Texans to happily gobble up Stroud with the No. 2 selection.
Fast forward roughly 17 months later and Stroud is building off of one of the best rookie seasons by a quarterback in NFL history while Young was just benched for Andy Dalton after a disastrous first year and poor start to 2024.
The stark dichotomy between their two career paths has led to more widespread criticism for the Panthers following Young’s benching Monday.
“I remember the Panthers picking him over C.J. Stroud and a ‘cognitive test’ being one of the reasons why. Hoping Young can bounce back but what an unfortunate turn of events,” said ESPN’s Skubie Mageza.
“Has taking Young over Stroud reached Manning/Leaf status had Leaf gone #1?” one NFL fan wondered.
“Imagine being the Panthers, having Stroud there for the taking & passing on him for Young. One of the worst decisions of all time. Heads should’ve rolled for that. Just horrible,” another person said.
“If you had told me two years ago that Bryce Young would be a massive bust while CJ Stroud would be a rising superstar, I’d have totally believed you,” another commenter added.
“Well, the Panthers #Bengals game just got a lot more interesting for the fans. Also, ‘Young over Stroud’ has the potential to become as infamous as ‘Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan,'” said Ohio politician Brian Stewart.
Hopefully, Young can turn his career around, whether it is with Carolina or elsewhere.
It would be cruel if he was never able to have success while Stroud continues his trajectory toward being one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
Related: NFL Fans React To The Panthers Benching No. 1 Pick Bryce Young