NFL analyst's Bryce Young ranking defies his own criteria

It's one thing to rank Carolina Panthers QB Bryce Young low because of what he's done. To be totally fair, he still has much more bad on his resume than good. 10 solid to elite games at the end of last year in a lost season don't totally undo that. So if a QB rankings list has him low for that reason, it's totally fair, if not totally accurate.

But a ranking list that is designed to predict where the QB will end up, having him low is another thing entirely. That is speculative, and Young's incredible finish should suggest a rise in the rankings based on that. Unfortunately, SI's Matt Verderame doesn't believe in that. Either the logic used in ranking everyone didn't apply to Young, or his good play didn't move Verderame.

He ranked Young 25th, predicting that he'd remain a bottom-tier QB at the end of 2025 despite clear positives to take from. "Two things are true about Young: He hasn’t been good, but he’s getting better," Verderame said.

Nov 24, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna (51) forces a fumble as he sacks Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"After being benched before Week 3 after two awful outings, Young got his job back before Week 8 and started to show why he was the No. 1 pick in the draft two years ago," he went on. "The former Alabama star finished the season with 2,104 passing yards and 15 touchdowns with six interceptions across his final 10 starts."

A second year with QB guru head coach Dave Canales and a first-round receiver in Tetairoa McMillan to go along with an existing 1,000-yard back in Chuba Hubbard and star wideout Adam Thielen should all help Young, but apparently not enough to even crack the top 24 QBs in the NFL.

Some particularly interesting names landed ahead of Young: Tua Tagovailoa, Aaron Rodgers, Michael Penix Jr., and JJ McCarthy, with McCarthy somehow making the top 10 despite not having a single snap of NFL experience and coming off a major knee injury.

Since returning from the bench, Young has had to prove a lot of people wrong. Looks like there's one more who still doesn't believe that will have to be proven wrong in 2025 as well.

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