Carolina Panthers draft Philly-born quarterback Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick

Quarterback Bryce Young is no stranger to making history, and Thursday night proved no different.

At the NFL draft in Kansas City, Mo., the Carolina Panthers selected the former Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 1 overall pick. In doing so, Carolina made Young the shortest quarterback (5-foot-10, as was Kyler Murray in 2019) to ever be drafted in the first round, and the first Alabama player to go No. 1 overall since Harry Gilmer in 1948. Young also became the first Philadelphia-born player to be taken with the top pick in the NFL’s entry showcase.

» READ MORE: 2021 Heisman winner Bryce Young was born at Lankenau Hospital

While Young grew up in Pasadena, Calif., he was born at Lankenau Hospital in Wynnewood and resided in the area as a toddler briefly before moving West. Young might not have many memories of living in Havertown, but he has visited Philly on several occasions and still has relatives in the area. Prior to Young, wide receiver Irving Fryar (Mount Holly), who went No. 1 to New England in 1984, was the closest Philly had to a No. 1 overall pick. Young joins Charley Trippi (Pittston), Chuck Bednarik (Bethlehem), and Ernie Davis (New Salem), as Pennsylvanians to be drafted No. 1.

Carolina, which traded a massive haul to Chicago for the top pick in March, plans to build its offense around Young, who over the past two seasons has been one of college football’s most electrifying players. Last season, Young completed 64.5% of his passes for 3,328 yards, 32 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. Young was even better the season before when he won the Heisman. That year, Young completed 66.9% of his passes for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns, and seven interceptions to lead the Crimson Tide to the title game of the College Football Playoff. Young’s pinpoint accuracy and ability to extend plays set him apart in the college ranks, and have helped him overcome his lack of prototypical quarterback size.

Former Eagles offensive coordinator and first-year Panthers coach Frank Reich will surely be excited to get his hands on a young quarterback with such a dynamic skill set. Reich, who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles, takes over a Panthers team that went 7-10 last season and has said goodbye to top running back Christian McCaffrey (San Francisco) and wide receiver D.J. Moore (Chicago) in the last six months. Former Eagles running back Miles Sanders signed a four-year deal with the Panthers this offseason.