Carolina Panthers franchise great Jonathan Stewart is extremely high on Bryce Young.
The fourth-year quarterback made huge strides last season, unexpectedly leading the Panthers to the playoffs and their first division title since the 2015 season. It was a major change in narrative as Young seemed to establish himself as the franchise quarterback after a season in which he threw for a career-high 23 touchdowns and 3,011 yards.
Fast forward to this season and Young has taken it up a whole another level. Through just four games, Young has nine touchdowns against two interceptions with a league-leading 1,268 passing yards for a 100.0 passer rating and a clip of 7.8 yards per pass attempt.
As a unit, the Panthers rank fourth in total offense (405.8
yards per game) and fourth in scoring offense (30.3 points per game)—and enter their bye week atop the NFC South.
Stewart spent 10 years with the Panthers (2008 to 2017) and ended his career as the franchise's all-time leading rusher. He played with some great quarterbacks including two who led them to the Super Bowl in Jake Delhomme and Cam Newton.
The former Pro Bowl running back said he would compare Young's play style to five-time MVP Peyton Manning.
"There's really no comparison in my my opinion, man," Stewart said in a one-on-one interview. "He's one of one, and and in a lot of ways, the poise that he carries, I've never seen it. Like the way he does it, I would maybe say Peyton Manning-ish. But the stature, the size, it's just massively different, and I think he's got a different wiggle to him too. Like in the pocket, he has this craftiness to him that you kind of can get to him, but not fully."
Stewart admits the size disparity is a big one with Young at 5-foot-10 and Manning at 6-foot-5. He said Dennis Dixon, his former Oregon Ducks quarterback, is also a good comparison. Dixon was also a taller quarterback at 6-foot-3.
"But the way he does maneuver in the pocket, there was a guy named Dennis Dixon that I played with, and there was times where Dennis and how he moved in the pocket was just kind of very finesse and just very aura driven," Stewart added. "It's smooth, just very smooth. I think Bryce is is a different different type of quarterback."
Young is on the final year of his rookie deal and is playing for a new contract. If he continues at this pace, he'll be one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league—something that Stewart believes is a given as the 25-year-old continues to establish himself as the Panthers' franchise quarterback.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers great boldly compares Bryce Young to legendary Hall of Fame QB
