League-wide respect for QB Bryce Young confirms the Panthers are right to have strong feelings for their former first overall pick
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young landed on the NFL’s Top 100 list, a sign that the rest of the league has high respect for him and it confirms how the team feels about their young quarterback.
The Carolina Panthers are nearing a crossroads with quarterback Bryce Young when it comes to earning a potential second contract with the team. Since drafting him first overall in 2023, Young has slowly started to prove himself as a capable starter in this league after all of the turmoil he faced early in his career.
When it comes to team success, Young is coming off the best season of his career leading the Panthers to an NFC South title and multiple big wins over top NFC threats, even if Carolina only had an 8-9 record.
The Panthers still want to see more growth before investing in a long-term deal, but the entire building feels strongly about his trajectory. A lot of people on the outside don’t seem to agree, but other players in the NFL certainly do and their opinion carries weight.
Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young makes his NFL Top 100 debut
On Tuesday, the NFL continued rolling out the Top 100 players list and coming in at #98 was Bryce Young, much to the surprise of many. Even I didn’t expect Young to make his NFL Top 100 debut this offseason.
What’s even more interesting how the votes are compiled for this list. Select players are given a 1-20 ballot to fill out with the first place player earning 20 points for that spot and the 20th ranked player earning one point. Young making the list means multiple players had him down as a Top 20 player on their ballot.
Now, some of this is subjective. Young and fellow teammate Jaycee Horn were present on Young’s Top 100 highlight post. So, one could assume Young had himself on his ballot and his teammate did the same for his quarterback. But, other players showed their respect.
“His biggest thing – he’s always calm and collected,” Los Angeles Rams safety Kam Curl explained. “He never lets the moment get too big.”
Curl was on the field facing off against Young in two games last season. The first was one of the Panthers’ biggest wins of the season when they pulled off the upset against the Rams at Bank of America Stadium. The second was in the NFC Wild Card Round when Young led a go-ahead touchdown drive with 2:39 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Young’s stoic presence in late game situations and ability to pull off last minute comebacks clearly earned a lot of respect from his peers and opponents.
“He really does a good job of stepping up and making some of those clutch throws,” New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough added.
Statistically, Young’s season was much to marvel about in 2025 compared to other quarterbacks. However, it’s not always about the stats and this ranking as voted by his peers proves that to be the case.
It also confirms to the Panthers that how they feel about their quarterback is a feeling shared around the league, and that’s the opinion that really matters.