Report: Young believed to be No. 1 overall pick by Panthers

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is believed to be the Carolina Panthers' selection with the No. 1 overall pick in tonight's NFL draft, league sources told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The Panthers' preference to draft Young never wavered since they traded up with the Chicago Bears to get the top selection, and scouts had conviction early in the process that Young is the right quarterback to draft, Pelissero adds.

Young had been the starting quarterback at Alabama for the last two seasons and won the Heisman Trophy in 2021.

The 21-year-old is short in stature, as he measured in at 5-foot-10, 204 pounds at the combine, which some believed would dissuade the Panthers from selecting him with the top pick.

His size never slowed him down, as he threw for 8,356 yards with 80 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his career at Alabama.

Carolina has struggled to find stability at the quarterback position since 2020, with six different signal-callers starting a game over the last three seasons.

The NFL draft kicks off Thursday.

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