Bryce Young Outranks Patrick Mahomes, Caleb Williams in Key Passing Stat

If you're in a category with Patrick Mahomes and Caleb Williams, you're probably a pretty good quarterback. What if you do something at an even higher level than those two? That would also be pretty good.

Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young is not often favorably compared to those two or other elite QBs. But at least based on one passing stat, the fourth-year QB outranks both of them, indicating that there's at least one skill he's got on those two generational QBs.

Bryce Young may be more accurate than Caleb Williams and Patrick Mahomes

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) scrambles against Los Angeles Rams defensive end Kobie Turner | David Banks-Imagn Images

Bryce Young is a pretty accurate quarterback. Throwing the ball on target is usually a good indicator of that. And according to this stat provided by Steven Patton, Young outclasses some big names. He's not included on a list of the most off-target QBs, which includes Caleb Williams, Patrick Mahomes, Cam Ward, and Trevor Lawrence.

Off Target Throw % per @StatRankings:

JJ McCarthy - 25.5%
Michael Penix - 24.6%
Caleb Williams - 21.7%
Justin Fields - 21.3%
Shedeur Sanders - 20.8%
Jaxson Dart - 20.7%
Cam Ward - 20.7%
Patrick Mahomes - 20.4%
Trevor Lawrence - 20.3%
Dillon Gabriel - 20.1%
— Steven Patton (@PattonAnalytics) May 20, 2026

This doesn't mean that Young is better than Williams or Mahomes. No one in their right mind would argue that point. One is the best quarterback in the league, and the other may well end up as that when it's all said and done.

What it does mean is that there's something that Young does better than those two and others. It means he's a little bit more accurate with his passes than those two. Of course, that's just one facet of the position, and plenty of players (obviously) can make up for a lack of accuracy.

Those two definitely do, and they have elite arm talent. Young doesn't necessarily have that, which is why it's crucial that he be accurate. He isn't going to zip the ball past defenders like Cam Newton used to, so he has to have touch and accuracy.

According to a different metric, Young was eighth in the NFL in on-target percentage last season, which puts him in a totally different category than those above, including Mahomes and Williams. Young hits his spots a lot.

More often than a lot of quarterbacks, Young throws passes that are on target. He doesn't miss egregiously that often. That's good. Now, the Panthers just need to continue to find receivers who can catch those accurate passes.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass during the second half | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Several Panthers' pass-catchers, including Tetairoa McMillan, struggle with drops. If they can up their game in that department, it'll help the team take advantage of what is one of Young's best attributes. If not, then Young's stats will probably never be what people want to see.

Fortunately, at least in some instances, we know that's not necessarily the fault of Young, and if the performance is better than the stats might indicate, that's not the worst thing in the world, either.

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