Panthers land Bryce Young replacement with Heisman candidate in recent mock draft

It’s been another season of horrors for the Carolina Panthers in 2024. After an offseason of hype that included the hiring of head coach of Dave Canales, offensive line signings in Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt and the trade for Diontae Johnson, improvements were expected. Bryce Young, the team’s No.1 overall pick in 2023, was also thought to elevate his game in year two.

After eight weeks, Carolina’s 1-7, Johnson was traded to the Baltimore Ravens and Young was benched after the first two games. He was able to start again in Week 8 due to Andy Dalton’s thumb injury, but that wasn’t due to him earning the spot back. Young will get another opportunity to start in Week 9, however, Carolina’s made it clear they aren’t confident in his abilities enough to keep the starting job long-term.

In the event that the Panthers decide to move on from Young, Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report was able to land them a potential star. With the 2025 No.1 overall pick, Sobleski has Carolina selecting Miami quarterback Cam Ward.

Ward has showed improvement at each stop, to the point where he’s now QB1 on B/R’s rankings. The ability was always present, though. Ward’s primary growth this season has been not allowing mistakes to compound throughout a contest. His 2,746 passing yards and 24 touchdown tosses lead all Power Four quarterbacks, with 186 rushing yards and four more scores added to the mix.

With another chance at selecting whomever they please with the first pick, Ward would be an excellent choice to replace Young. This upcoming quarterback class has drawn hype, with Ward’s name near the top of every list. His ability to escape defenders, throw the ball downfield with ease and squeeze throws into tight windows has landed Ward on the Heisman candidate list.

Seeing as the Panthers are headed towards another rebuild, Ward being their first step would be ideal. General manager Dan Morgan will have a prime opportunity to right the ship after Carolina’s last regime got them into this current situation. Morgan knows he can’t mess this up, which is why selecting Ward might be what they’re missing.

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