The Detroit Lions have only played once against Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, back in Young's rookie season in 2023. Unless you count his college days, in which case, several Lions have a bit more experience against the Carolina gunslinger.
The Lions (2-1) face the Panthers (1-2) on Sunday, Oct. 4, in the NFL's Week 4 "Sunday Night Football" matchup at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The game will feature two of the league's top offenses, and Young, who leads the NFL with 313 passing yards per game, is at the center of Carolina's.
Young's emergence has been somewhat of a surprise, as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft struggled in his first two pro seasons before leading the Panthers to a playoff appearance in 2025. But
Young has gone from potential bust to rising star in 2026, leading the league in passing through his first three games while adding seven passing touchdowns and another one on the ground.
It's the type of performance reminiscent of his 2021 Heisman Trophy-winning season at Alabama, when his national profile rocketed as high as his draft stock. And if you ask the SEC defenders tasked with facing him over his three seasons with the Crimson Tide – a few of whom currently play with the Lions – Young's surge to the top of the NFL leaderboards doesn't come as a surprise.
How Lions defenders remember Bryce Young
Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr., who played at Missouri from 2020-23, was there for Young's first college game. It happened to be Rakestraw's first college game, as well.
Rakestraw started at corner for the Tigers that game in 2020 while Young was the backup to future NFLer Mac Jones, but Young got some playing time late in the 38-19 Alabama win, going 5 for 8 through the air.
"It was fun because I was committed to Alabama at first, and then I flipped on signing day, so it was kind of like playing the school that I was going to go to," Rakestraw said after practice on Thursday, Oct. 1. "And then I saw Bryce Young on my official visit. I got to visit his dorm to see what it looked like."
Rakestraw said his mom talked to Young on the visit and found how that the Southern California native was dealing with homesickness at the time.
"So I knew when I get to college, that first couple of weeks I would miss my family," he said.
Lions cornerback Roger McCreary, who played at Auburn from 2018-21, got an extended look at Young in his senior season, when Alabama outlasted Auburn for a 24-22 quadruple-overtime win.
"He basically picked off where the quarterbacks in the past had," he said. "Was a big challenge, could never beat him. It was a close game, though."
One Lions defender did get the best of Young in college: defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo, who played at LSU in 2022 in Young's final season. The Tigers beat the Tide 32-31 in overtime, but Young put up big numbers, going 25 for51 with 328 yards and a passing touchdown.
"He's a dynamic player," Wingo said. "Even if you think you've got him bottled up in the backfield, you better keep rushing because if he finds a little lane, he can throw a good ball."
No one knows that better than Lions wideout Jameson Williams, who played with Young at Alabama in 2021.
"That's my guy," he said. "Great quarterback, great person, great athlete, great all around. ... I can't wait to see him on Sunday."
How Bryce Young has developed in the NFL
McCreary, who played with the Tennessee Titans from 2022-25 and matched up several times in the NFL with Young, acknowledges that it took the quarterback a few years to find his footing. But after the Panthers struggled in Young's first two seasons, McCreary thinks Carolina has surrounded Young with talent that has allowed him to blossom.
"They got guys around him to protect him on the O-line. The receivers to throw the ball to are bigger, taller receivers," he said. "They really found guys he can work with, finally move around. So that's why I see a lot of success for him now, it's basically like how he was in college."
Those receivers include third-year wideout Jalen Coker, who leads Carolina in receptions and yards after three games, and 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan, who put up a 1,000-yard receiving season as a rookie for the Panthers last season. Keeping those two players in check in Sunday will fall heavily on Rakestraw and McCreary, the former playing in a career-high 23 defensive snaps against the Jets in Week 3 and the latter playing on nearly every defensive down against New York.
Another challenge for Detroit's defense will be to penetrate Carolina's pass protection. The Panthers' revamped O-line, which include new additions in starters Rasheed Walker and Luke Fortner, has allowed Young to cut his sack rate nearly in half – from 10.53% in 2023 to 5.47% so far this season.
That has allowed Young to settle into the pocket more, but he can still use his legs to escape trouble if needed.
"You watch the scramble tape, he's still making some guys miss and getting some good yards," Wingo said. "He's still a good rushing threat."
It's that dynamism that might give the Lions fits on Sunday. Detroit has faced two quarterbacks with good scrambling abilities in New Orleans Saints youngster Tyler Shough and Buffalo Bills veteran Josh Allen. Both torched the Lions' defense, and it's possible Young will present the biggest challenge yet for Detroit.
"We have got to get push in the middle of this defense and then contain him," Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Friday. "It is very important we keep him in the pocket. We cannot let him get out of there, and you cannot let him step up or have room to step up."
The Panthers have plenty of talent on offense to give the Lions fits on Sunday, from their young wideouts to their multiple tight ends to their dynamic running backs. But as Campbell and the rest of the Lions say, it all centers around Carolina's emerging star.
"The secret sauce is this quarterback, he's the one who makes it go," Campbell said. "He's extremely dangerous."
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions players know how 'dynamic' Panthers QB Bryce Young can be. They've seen it
