NFL Draft: Panthers weighed Super Bowl odds, WR costs with Bryce Young

KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 28 (UPI) -- Dave Tepper told reporters that Carolina Panthers decision-makers were unanimous in wanting Bryce Young, but they weighed future wide receiver costs and Super Bowl odds before taking him at No. 1 in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Panthers acquired the top pick in March through a trade with the Chicago Bears. They took Young off the board with that pick Thursday in Kansas City, Mo.

"You want to win Super Bowls," Tepper told reporters at a news conference. "It's no sure thing here, but it's a probability.

"We thought this guy [Young] has the best probability of winning Super Bowls. With the way he throws the ball and the way he is a point guard ... how [we] can use the different players on the field [and] how [we] might not have to have as many elite receivers, because he's a point guard.

"He distributes the ball to people with routes. So you save some money there [at wide receiver]. We believe we can save money in other places and put some money into the defensive side of the ball."

Young totaled 80 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions during his career at Alabama. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner was criticized for his smaller stature throughout the pre-draft process, but Tepper said Panthers decision-makers agreed that he was the best player in the draft class.

Panthers coach Frank Reich told reporters last month at the NFL scouting combine that Young's size was a "concern." He said Thursday that further evaluation alleviated those concerns.

"There wasn't much convincing," Reich said of the Panthers' final decision. "You just watch the tape.

"There was a lot said about his size. At the end of the day, there are a lot of factors that go into it. But we are coaches and scouts. We watch the tape. And when you watch the tape, Bryce Young is the best player."

Young met with reporters Friday in Charlotte.

"I still feel a lot of emotions right now," Young said. "It's still surreal. Everything is still really fresh and new, but I'm trying to live in the moment and embrace this process.

"I'm here right now, but the next step is getting to work and doing everything I can to try to help this team out."

The Panthers threw for the fourth-fewest yards and fifth-fewest touchdowns in 2022-23. Their offense gained the fourth-fewest total yards in the league.