Perhaps no one on this planet knows what Bryce Young is currently going through more than Cam Newton does. So, what does he think of the rookie passer at this point?
The franchise’s first No. 1 overall pick spoke about the franchise’s second No. 1 overall pick on Wednesday’s episode of KJ ALL DAY with KJ Wright. (Yes, that KJ Wright.) And that topic came right off the top from the former Seattle Seahawks linebacker.
“I believe in Bryce,” Newton told Wright. “But I think you have to raise him with care. I think a person like Bryce could be scarred, just like any other quarterback could be scarred, if thrown to the wolves too early, right?”
Young has dealt with some of those wolves early on—as a mix of struggling playmakers, a banged-up offensive line and an organizational transition has, in part, attributed to a slow opening chapter. The 22-year-old, who is currently dealing with an ankle injury, has completed a hair over 59 percent of his passes for 299 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions over two winless starts.
Newton continued.
“We all know any time you’re the first pick, that means you’re goin’ to a [expletive] team. I went through it. Peyton Manning went through it. All the No. 1 picks went through it. And this day in age, it’s about who and what can you do right now. But I think when you’re dealin’ with a talent like Bryce Young, it’s the long tenure rather than right-now success.”
Unlike Young, Newton was a “right-now success” as a rookie.
The 2010 Heisman Trophy winner burst onto the scene immediately, setting an all-time record for passing yards by a rookie quarterback in his NFL debut (422). He went on to capture the 2011 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and the rest—including a Most Valuable Player award, three division titles and an NFC Championship—was history.
Wright then asked Newton if the Panthers have set Young up to succeed this season.
“No,” he emphatically replied before Wright even finished his question. “And I see the receiver skill set, yes. You see the [Adam] Thielen, you see [DJ] Chark, you see the tight end there. But from top to bottom, for him, it’s not set up for him to be successful—especially not his rookie year, in my honest opinion.
“And, like I said, everything that Carolina is building—will they get to that point? Yes. In throwing him into the wolves and expecting instant success, that’s not the quarterback position, unfortunately. What I will say—it’s gonna take a season for him to kinda see the preparation, seein’ the tempo of the game, seein’ just in-game adjustments at its finest.”
Well, not everything in the NFL can be instant grits.
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