Panthers QB Bryce Young shows "full command" at first NFL practice

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Bryce Young Arrived early for the first time NFL He trains, then performs for his new coaches.

No. 1 overall Alabama He made an impressive first impression in the rookie junior camp on Friday, stunning coach Frank Reich and the others with a series of throws on goal while displaying pocket poise and good decision-making skills.

“I don’t want to overdo it on the first day, but he did everything right,” said Reich. “Little fouling in the flat, little bubble screen items, depth (higher) throws, throws in the flat…it’s meant to be.

Reich said Young showed “total command” of the attack.

After being picked on by a childhood friend CJ Stroud from Ohio State In the draft, Young said he was eager to get on the field and prove himself.

He wasn’t kidding.

Young arrived at the training ground about an hour before the listed start time, and long before most of the media had arrived to take a photo or video of him arriving in his number 9 jersey.

Young’s goal was to send a message about what he called a “huge day”.

“I wanted to set a tone,” Young said. “I was just here trying to shake things off like we were all in. We talked at this junior camp about team themes, and someone’s making sure we’re ready. I think we all want to make the best first impression that we can.”

Many of Young’s completions during unpadded practice went to Jonathan Mingothe team’s second round draft pick Mississippi – communication leopards Hope will be featured for years to come.

On the pass, Mingo caught a perfectly thrown spiral before turning quickly down the field toward the end zone.

“I’ve been on the opposite side of Bryce for the past two years [in college] “I’m 0-2 against him, so it’s good to be on his side in the end,” Mingo said. “We have to keep building our chemistry and help the team win. Just keep practicing, practice makes us better. It makes me better, and I make it better.”

Between plays, Young received coaching from longtime NFL quarterback Josh McCown, the team’s new QBs coach. Mingo took some advice from former Panthers wide receiver and NFL analyst Steve Smith, who stopped by to see the rookies.

Mingo said he was impressed with Young’s presence at the gathering, which included serious moments and others where they were joking around and enjoying the music pumping through the speakers on the sidelines.

Mingo said Young is “stable, comfortable and smooth” in the pocket, and always knows where he wants the ball to go.

“He doesn’t think much,” Mingo said. “He just went out and had fun.”

Carolina invested a lot in Young after trading four draft picks and a wide receiver DJ Moore To move to first place in the overall selection.

Panthers owner David Tepper said he’s counting on Young to lead the franchise to multiple Super Bowl titles after five seasons in which the team didn’t find a long-term answer in the quarterback.

The Panthers had not made the playoffs since 2017, the year before Tepper purchased the team.

While questions will continue to linger over Young’s 5-foot-10, 204-pound stature until he can prove he’s tall enough and strong enough to play in the NFL, early impressions he left on Friday were positive.

Reich said Young “looked mentally and physically, he looked all over.”

“He threw the ball very well,” Reich added. “You could tell he was in a good place mentally. He really had a solid understanding of everything we asked.”

Young made sure he was ready to enter, not just by studying the rules of the game.

He spent months getting advice from all kinds of people at the NFL level, current and former, about the best way to move into the league. This included several conversations with the former Crimson Tide quarterback Mac Jonesnow with New England Patriots.

Young said Jones was “extremely gracious” talking to him about a number of issues.

“I want to do everything I can to set myself up to be successful and to help the franchise,” Young said. “So many people have helped me. I will continue to count on people who have achieved success and have done it for longer than I have.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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