To Carolina Panthers fans, Cam Newton is one of one. He’s often imitated, but has never been duplicated.
The same goes for what Newton brought to the team, the organization and the city—from his record-breaking MVP play to his larger-than-life presence. But one of his former teammates feels the Panthers may have something at least a little similar in their new No. 1 overall pick.
Franchise great Thomas Davis stopped by the set of Good Morning Football on Wednesday. After talking about the newest Hall of Honor inductees in Julius Peppers and Muhsin Muhammad, the legendary linebacker was asked about rookie quarterback Bryce Young.
“Listen—I watched Bryce Young year in and year out at Alabama,” Davis told host and former quarterback Ryan Leaf. “I even had the opportunity, when I was with the Chargers, to watch him a little bit in high school. But me being a Georgia Bulldog, I watched this kid play way too much and I know what he brings to the table.”
Well, Young brought an awful lot to the table against Davis’ Dawgs. In his two games versus Georgia, the University of Alabama star passed for 790 yards and four touchdowns over a 2021 series split—one in the SEC title game and the other in the national title game.
Davis went on to talk about what Young brings to Carolina, and it kind of reminds him of what another Heisman Trophy winner did there.
“He’s a kid that’s very dynamic with his arm talent,” he added. “But what he brings to the table as far as getting out of the pocket, keeping the plays alive, being able to find things down the field, his leadership qualities that you hear people rave about, his understanding and knowledge of being able to grasp the playbook quickly, his teammates respect him so much. I just love what he’s gonna bring to this city.
“You look at when Cam came into Carolina and the environment that was surrounded around Cam and how the atmosphere was so electric—I feel that same kind of electricity with Bryce Young right now. It’s debatable to see if he can bring what Cam brought to the team. But I just think the sky’s the limit for this kid because he wants to be great and you can see it.”
The expectations are already high enough for this year’s first overall selection . . . because, ya know, it comes with the territory. But when you’re talking Cam in Charlotte, that’s another tough terrain to navigate through—and it’s actually something that Young seems more than prepared to do.
