Bryce Young has already made a strong impression on Adam Thielen, one that started before either of them became a member of the Carolina Panthers.
In an interview with Joe Person of The Athletic from Monday, the 32-year-old wide receiver talked about his new (or perhaps soon-to-be new) quarterback. He highlighted Young’s personality, which apparently took the veteran aback . . . in a good way, of course.
“You see all the highlight plays and you hear about how smart he is and his processing ability,” Thielen told Person. “But when you meet him as a person, you understand how mature he is for his age and how respectful he is and his knowledge of the game. It really impresses you. And now getting to know him a little bit through the process and his top-30 visit, just really excited now to get on the field with him.”
Thielen’s first interaction with Young actually came prior that top-30 visit in April. He said he cross paths with the eventual No. 1 overall pick during the leadup to Super Bowl LVII.
“I was with my wife at the Adidas suite, hanging out there for a little bit. Super Bowl week, there’s a lot going on. People everywhere, seeing guys you know and have relationships with, and doing a lot of interviews and media stuff. He kind of just came up to me and said how much respect he had and he loves my game and things like that. It just kind of shocked me. He didn’t have to do that. For him to go out of his way to say those things just showed how mature and respectful he is as a person, which is really cool.”
Hopefully for the Panthers, that cool connection continues into the 2023 campaign.
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