FanDuel promo code: Bryce Young season preview, best bets, and Offensive Rookie of the Year odds

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After five straight losing seasons, things are finally looking up for the Carolina Panthers thanks to first-overall pick Bryce Young.

Expectations are sky-high for Young, as the Panthers had to trade D.J. Moore and four draft picks to acquire the former Alabama Crimson Tide QB. But Young’s time with the Tide makes him no stranger to pressure.

You can wager on Young with our FanDuel promo code, worth up to $100 in guaranteed bonus bets to use on the 2023 NFL season.

Carolina selecting Young with the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft was polarizing. Not because there’s concern regarding how the 22-year-old will handle NFL stardom; he started two seasons for a school that demands success and threw for 369 yards in the 2022 CFP National Championship.

Instead, questions arose regarding how the 6-foot, 194-pound QB’s frame would hold up in the NFL. Can he read a defense at his height, and is he built to take the punishment that’s sure to come from the NFL’s monstrous defensive linemen?

Drew Brees is the same height as Young, Russell Wilson is an inch shorter, and both are Super Bowl-winning, future Hall of Famers. Panthers fans should have no concerns when it comes to Young’s stature.

While passers of similar size can typically rush the ball, the Pennsylvania native didn’t rely on his legs much at Alabama. In three seasons with the Tide, Young ran for only 162 yards.

While the option to take off when passing lanes clog is a valuable attribute, it also forces more collisions and injuries.

Carolinians should be thrilled about what’s in store for Young and the Panthers in 2023.

At FanDuel Sportsbook, Young holds the second-shortest odds to win OROTY, trailing only Bijan Robinson.

Unlike the NFL’s MVP award, Offensive Rookie of the Year hasn’t been dominated by QBs. In the last 10 seasons, RBs have won the honor four times, while passers and WRs have won it thrice.

Young holds better odds than fellow first-round QBs C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson thanks to his standing as the most NFL-ready of the bunch. Alabama runs a pro-style offense that has proven to translate well for former Crimson Tide QBs Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, and Jalen Hurts.

The departure of Moore is a critical loss for the Panthers’ offense, but Carolina also acquired some veteran weapons to help bring Young along. That includes Miles Sanders, Adam Thielen, D.J. Chark, and Hayden Hurst.

While these aren’t elite playmakers, Young’s offensive skill players should be serviceable, making his Offensive Rookie of the Year market worthy of a wager.

Predicting how a college player’s skills will translate to the pros is never easy, so we reviewed Jones’ rookie year to see how Nick Saban and the Tide prepared him for the NFL. We disregarded Tua and Hurts’ numbers because they didn’t start full seasons as rookies.

When Jones broke onto the scene for the New England Patriots, he tossed 22 touchdowns, and like Young, Mac wasn’t passing to elite receivers. This followed Jones’ superb 41-touchdown 2020 season at Alabama.

Young tallied 32 touchdown passes in his final year with the Tide, despite working with a less-talented pass-catching group compared to Jones’ time in Tuscaloosa. Considering the way Jones quickly acclimated to the NFL, as well as Young having a higher ceiling than Jones, Bryce should have no issue eclipsing his 2023 touchdown total.

The Panthers’ preseason schedule hasn’t kicked off yet, but Young is already receiving praise from teammates and coaches. Head coach Frank Reich and RT Taylor Moton told The Athletic that Young shows impressive humble confidence for a rookie.

Reich and Moton have been particularly wowed by Young’s demeanor after a miscue or interception. His time with the Crimson Tide has prepared him well to handle the adversity and pressure of being a starter in the NFL, and that will be evident by Young’s stats, assuming he remains healthy.

Plus, Jones threw for 3,801 yards in his rookie campaign. Young surpassing 4,000 yards in 2023 comes with a hefty +500 price tag.

In Young’s 2021 Heisman campaign, he threw for 4,872 yards in 15 games. Despite missing time due to injury last season, Young still recorded 3,328 passing yards.

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