Bryce Young got offensive help he needed via Panthers' draft

CHARLOTTE, N. C. -- Word from the camp of Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young during the third day of the 2024 NFL draft was "loving it.''

He should be.

While new coach Dave Canales insisted this draft wasn't about surrounding the top pick of the 2023 draft with great players but, rather, building a great team for Young to "do his one-eleventh,'' Carolina's draft felt looked it was all about Young.

The whole offseason has felt that way.

It began with new general manager Dan Morgan spending $150 million on upgrading the middle of the offensive line with guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis. Thirty-five of Young's team-record 62 sacks last season came from the guard and center positions.

It continued with a trade for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who, over the past two seasons, had an NFL-best 94 open score, an ESPN analytic that defines the likelihood a receiver would complete a catch if targeted. No Carolina receiver ranked in the top 40 during that span.

Then came the first four rounds of the draft. Morgan traded up a spot to No. 32 in the first round to select wide receiver Xavier Legette, a dynamic receiver with versatility unlike any on the roster. Legette had 10 catches on throws of 30-plus yards last season at South Carolina. The Panthers collectively had one, the fewest in the NFL since the Cincinnati Bengals had none in 2020.

In the second round, the Panthers got arguably the draft's best running back in Jonathon Brooks out of Texas. Brooks had 11 rushes of 20-plus yards last season, including four for touchdowns. Carolina had nine for one touchdown in 2023.

Then, in the fourth round, Carolina drafted Texas tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, who plays the position more like a wide receiver. Young had an NFL-worst 44.8 QBR when targeting tight ends last season. Now he has a player who compares himself to Travis Kelce, George Kittle and other elite tight ends in the league.

In his own words, he's part of the "new-age tight end'' movement.

Carolina also made upgrades on defense with third-round pick Trevin Wallaceat inside linebacker.

Bottom line: The roster around Young is more complete than it was this time last year after Carolina sent two first-round picks and former first-round receiverDJ Moore to the Chicago Bears to move up from No. 9 to select the quarterback No. 1 overall.

"I feel we really took advantage of some of those spots to bring a bunch of talent into our roster,'' Canales said. "Specifically talking about the offense, just looking positionally with a running back, receiver and a tight end, skill-wise just bringing a little bit of juice there to really challenge that whole group and elevate the whole offense.

"I'm really excited about what we did there.''

The roster better resembles what 2023 No. 2 pick C.J. Stroud had last season with the Houston Texans that helped him earn NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and cast doubt on Carolina's selection of Young.

The doubt had grown so much that a Charlotte bar and grill near Bank of America Stadium featured this past week a sign that said, "PLEASE LET THE COACH & GM PICK THIS YEAR''.

The implication was owner David Tepper, whom the bar owner referred to as "meddlesome,'' made the pick of Young, even though it was a group decision with then-general manager Scott Fitterer and then-coach Frank Reich.

Tepper stopped by the establishment about 90 minutes before Thursday's first round to discuss the sign with management.

But this draft wasn't about Tepper. It was as much about Morgan leaving his imprint as it was about helping Young. He got the "dawgs'' and touchdown-makers he talked about wanting before the draft, the kind of players the Panthers selected when he was part of an NFL-worst 1-15 2001 team that reached the Super Bowl two years later.

He also recouped a 2025 second-round pick the Panthers were without after last year's trade with Chicago.

"The goals were to just draft really good football players,'' Morgan said.

And get "dawgs.''

Few expressed that mentality better than Wallace.

"It might sound crazy, but 'dawg mentality' to me is like you don't care if you're going to hurt somebody,'' he said. "It's part of the game. You go in there and hurt somebody, and you're like, 'Hey, I did this and I'm going to do it again.'''

The Panthers even got a self-proclaimed "dawg'' at running back, a position they value highly and plan to use extensively even though many in the league don't.

"No one is going to respect you until you earn that respect,'' Brooks said. "I have played football my whole life. I know that you have to have that dawg in you for you to be like the alpha on the field. ... Don't let anybody get under your skin and just have a little swagger about yourself.''

Perhaps the best Morgan moment came when he asked Sanders if he was ready to become a Panther.

"You're damn right I am,'' Sanders shouted over the phone.

To which the high-octane Canales replied, "Best response of the day. Hell yeah you want to be a Panther!''

Young may have shouted a few hell yeahs himself, knowing he's in better shape now to bounce back from a historically bad season for a quarterback taken No. 1 overall.

Canales, who exchanged texts with his quarterback, knows Young is pleased.

"He's excited about what we've done,'' he said. "From the responses I got from him, he's very fired up about what we've got put together.''