DJ Chark isn’t the only Panthers wide receiver singing rookie quarterback Bryce Young‘s praises in the wake of the team’s offseason program.
Adam Thielen made an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday and was asked about his impressions of the first overall pick in this year’s draft. Thielen cautioned that one can only learn so much about a player during unpadded spring practices, but said that Young’s high level of preparation in his first days as a professional player caught his teammates off guard.
“You know, first overall pick, with all the hype and all that, you know there’s gonna be a lot of potential and you know he’s gonna have a lot of talent. But I think he just kinda surprised a lot of guys of how prepared he was for the NFL game,” Thielen said. “I think sometimes it’s hard in those moments — because you’re in shorts and t-shirt, right? So you don’t wanna too excited about — whether that’s your team or individually — you don’t wanna get too excited in the summer because it’s a different game when you put pads on. But, at the same time, the way he moves in the pocket, the way that he adjusts and can get the ball out on time and accurate and he can make adjustments and things like that. It’s impressive. It gets you excited to get back working together.”
Thielen concedes that “you never know what’s gonna happen” once things progress to fully padded practices and games later this year, but it’s clear that Young has done nothing to temper expectations since entering the league.
