Tepper Addresses Rumor That He and Reich Differed on the No. 1 Pick

Bryce Young was the unanimous decision, according to the Panthers' owner.

Author:
Schuyler Callihan
Nov 28, 2023 2:23 PM EST

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It's been a disastrous season for the Carolina Panthers, dropping ten of the first eleven games of the year. The rookie quarterback they took number one overall, Bryce Young, is struggling, meanwhile the guy they passed on, C.J. Stroud, is flourishing in Houston and is well on pace to be the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Over the course of the last several months, there have been rumors floating around that head coach Frank Reich actually preferred Stroud over Young, but team owner David Tepper wanted Young.

During his press conference on Tuesday addressing the firing of Reich, Tepper answered whether or not that was the case and where he stands on Bryce Young after 11 games.

"It's been reported and we talked about it. Originally, we were going to go with the number two pick and we thought we would get C.J. because we thought the Texans were going to pick Bryce. And listen, we preferred Bryce, he was our number one pick. We had a lot of conviction. But in answer to your questions, it's just not the way the process was done. The process was done the way the process was done. And again, even if there was a process with five people in the room and the way the votes came in and Frank was the first choice, I always could veto that choice. And even if it was Bryce and the votes came in unanimously in this particular case, I could have vetoed that choice. In both cases, I supported both choices. I supported the coaches. I supported the scouts -- their unanimous opinion, and I supported Frank Reich. Whatever is good, bad, or indifferent, ultimately, the buck stops here and I take full responsibility for everything.

"And one last thing, as far as Bryce Young is concerned and I think everybody in this building would share this sentiment, we are totally confident in that pick."