Many people believe Bryce Young is not a fit for the Carolina Panthers because of head coach Frank Reich’s history working with taller quarterbacks, and Reich responded to that talk on Monday.
In his first press conference since the Panthers acquired the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, Reich said size is only one of many things he considers when evaluating a quarterback. He claimed he was very high on 5-foot-11 Russell Wilson when Wilson came out of college and noted how Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer was an executive with the Seattle Seahawks when they drafted Wilson.
“It’s like everybody says—everything matters. All those conversations matter, especially when it’s Scott Fitterer,” Reich said, via Anthony Rizzuti of Panthers Wire. “It’s the GM. And he’s talking about a guy like Russell Wilson … who, by the way, I had a very high grade on.
“You don’t have to read anything into that. But I don’t mind telling you I had a high grade on Russell Wilson. But don’t read anything into it, I’m just saying that. Because all these people putting this label on me that I only work with big quarterbacks. Don’t read anything into that.”
Reich has coached a group of quarterbacks in his career that includes Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz and Andrew Luck. All are big-bodied QBs who are over 6-foot-3. Young is listed at 5-foot-10, but some say he is actually 5-foot-9. The former Alabama star recently responded to concerns about his size.
The Panthers say they have conviction in multiple quarterbacks in the 2023 draft class, but a recent report claimed they have narrowed their selection down to two.
