Top prospect Bryce Young selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by Carolina Panthers

Top quarterback prospect Bryce Young of Alabama was selected by the Carolina Panthers as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

It was the team’s first time selecting a QB with the best overall pick since Cam Newton in 2011 and the organization believes it has found its franchise quarterback.

He becomes the first Alabama player to be selected No. 1 since Harry Gilmer in 1948.

Young was 30-4 as a starter through three seasons with the Crimson Tide, throwing for 8,356 yards with 80 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. He won the Heisman Trophy in 2021 after throwing 47 TD passes and helping Alabama go 13-2 and reach the College Football Playoff national championship game.

Considered short by NFL standards, the 5-foot-10, 204-pound Young is only the third quarterback since the merger shorter than six feet to be selected in the first round, alongside Kyler Murray and Johnny Manziel.

The organization believes it has found its franchise quarterback in the best prospect

Young helped Alabama go 13-2 and reach the College Football Playoff national championship

But the Panthers have said they have no reservations about his stature, noting he only got two passes from the line of scrimmage last season.

“I’m me, I know who I am, I’m confident in my abilities,” Young told a group of reporters at an NFL Play 60 event on Wednesday. “For me, I don’t know how to play the game any other way. All my life I have been so tall in relation to the people around me. … I can’t grow. I can’t get any bigger.’

It’s crucial that the Panthers hit Young.

General manager Scott Fitterer sent four draft picks — including two first-rounders — and wide receiver DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears last month in a blockbuster deal that allowed the Panthers to move up eight spots and pick their quarterbacks. Carolina also considered Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and Florida’s Anthony Richardson.

The Panthers hope Young brings stability to a position that has been in flux since 2017, the last time the franchise reached the postseason.

Carolina has tried several options under center including trading for Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, signing free agent Teddy Bridgewater and drafting Matt Corral in the third round last year.

They even brought Newton back for a second stint and considered Deshaun Watson before he ended up with the Cleveland Browns.

But nothing has worked.

The Panthers are only 29-53 in the past five seasons and have yet to make it to the postseason since David Tepper bought the team for a then-NFL-record $2.3 billion in 2018, making it the second richest owner in the world. league craved a playoff contender.

Young has shown he can win games and comes to Carolina with a reputation as a high-IQ quarterback who excels at making quick decisions. Young is especially successful as a pocket passer, but can also play on the run.

The QB became the first Alabama player to be selected No. 1 since Harry Gilmer in 1948

The 21-year-old spoke with Alabama coach Nick Saban after being selected by the Panthers

It is unclear whether Young will start immediately.

Coach Frank Reich said prior to the draft that the decision to start a starting quarterback largely depends on how quickly he develops and masters the system. The Panthers signed veteran Andy Dalton as a stopgap until Young is ready.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. called Young the “ultimate outlier” for his size, but still called him his best QB available.

“Some people think you should never draw an outlier,” Kiper said. “(Former CEO) Bill Polian used to say, ‘You don’t draw outliers.’ Bryce Young is an outlier and there’s no escaping that. … But he’s a great player.’