The NFL season is coming fast, and with teams beginning to meet for OTA's, many players are under the microscope of analysts. Free agents who haven't signed, new vetted additions, and players returning from injury are all being watched closely, but the scope gets a bit bigger for the rookies. Some are considered to make a day-one impact on their teams. Will Bijan Robinson bring stability to a rocky Runningback room for the Falcons? Can Will Anderson produce as he did in college and become a monster Edge Rusher for Houston? These are just two of the many who will be asked to step in and be impactful on Sundays, though the first and second-overall picks from the '23 draft will be asked to do a lot more than they might be ready for. Quarterbacks Bryce Young and CJ Stroud both had storied college football careers, but can the two replicate the success? Can they finally give their respective teams what has been so desperately needed in the past several years? Let's look at some pros and cons of the rookie quarterbacks. 

With the first overall pick, the Carolina Panther selected Alabama QB Bryce Young in hopes that he can bring them back from what has been a long and daunting carousel of players who have attempted to man the helm. Way back in 2011, the Panthers drafted Cam Newton, who became an icon for Carolina in a few short years. Newton would go on to win an MVP and practically carry the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance, but we know how that ended. In 2015, Carolina went 15-1 on the back of Newton who put up close to 4500 yards of offense and scored 45 touchdowns. Following this magical season, everyone expected Newton to keep Carolina atop the NFL world as a prominent team, but injuries got the best of him. Following 2015, Newton would digress greatly, and eventually, he was released, just 4 years after his MVP season. Since then, the Carolina Panthers have been in flux with the QB position, with six different starting QBs since 2019. Panther's fans have grovelled over the turnover that has taken place, losing faith in the front office for putting guys like a fading Sam Darnold, a washed Baker Mayfield, and an XFL star PJ Walker in the forefront of the QB position for the team. Times have changed though, and the Panther's organization looks very different. Out with stars like CMC and DJ Moore, and in with prominent role players and a new head coach with Frank Reich. Trading up in the draft was step one for the Panthers, and now they have their guy with Bryce Young. At least that is the hope. Everyone knows of Bryce Young. He was a phenom in high school, and he carried it into college at one of the biggest football programs in Alabama. In his three years at Bama, Young secured a Heisman and went to the National Championship twice (once as a backup). Young threw for over 8,000 yards and 80 TDS to only 12 interceptions. Young showed poise and the "ice in his veins" in some big moments like the 2021 Iron Bowl when Young led a 90+ yard drive to tie the game and send it into overtime. Young showed a skilled ability to make decisions on the fly, being called a "magician" at times for his impromptu acts of heroism at the position. Carolina feels Young was the best option to grab coming out of college and have taken the next step to attempt to help him succeed in his opening season. Free agent additions include the veteran WRs Adam Thielen and DJ Chark, TE Hayden Hurst, and RB Miles Sanders. All three are vetted individuals who have had bright spots for their former teams, and Carolina is looking to juice them for a bit more to help their rookie QB. Other offseason additions to help Young include rookie Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss Wideout, who will look to build the rookie-to-rookie rapport with Young. All of the skill additions are important, due to the loss of the major offensive production lost in McCaffrey and DJ Moore. The other big component of the offense is the frontline of protection. The offensive line is relatively young, and hopefully healthy, as it will be important for Young to have solid protection up front with his smaller stature. The question is can Young capture the same magic that Newton did when he came in? The intangibles are there, but concerns about injuries loom and have been implanted in the minds of fans in Carolina. It will be fascinating to see if Young thrives as he did at the high school and college levels because everyone knows, the NFL is a whole different ball game. 

Bryce Young, QB, 5'10", 194 lbs

Comp: Miniature-sized Mahomes? Maybe closer to Russell Wilson

Pros:

Hard to catch on the run, thrives in impromptu situations 

Accuracy on the run, in the pocket, and off balance

Can read a defense's protections, rips Cover 2 apart

Finds a way to throw WRs open, and has a great over-the-shoulder throw

Clutch (Bama vs. Auburn and Texas)

Cons: 

Physicals are scary, smaller QBs tend to have injury issues

Can be overzealous at times, forces throws that are impossible to make

Slow on reads at times, especially in mixed coverages

Will not be able to do it on his own, needs to take what defenses give him in the NFL

With the second pick in the most recent draft, the Houston Texans selected Ohio State's CJ Stroud. Stroud joins a desperate Texans squad who went for what was a big move in the draft by taking Stroud and trading up to the next pick and securing Edge Will Anderson. Combine that with a new Head Coach in DeMeco Ryans and what do you get? Good question. I could sit here and talk about the many issues that Houston has but let us focus on the new QB. Stroud looks to take the position next season from past starter, Davis Mill, who looked to be a possible bright spot in his first season, and yet failed triumphantly in his sophomore season. Mills was the possible solution to an already stumbling Texans team that has not been the same since the massive blowup that saw Deandre Hopkins extradited and Deshaun Watson moved off the field. Watson was a saving grace for the Texans at one time, with many believing he would lead the team to the promised land after a promising first few seasons at QB. The fairytale would not last, as Watson would eventually be traded away, and since the Texans have started the likes of Tyrod Taylor, Kyle Allen, and (how is this guy still playing) Jeff Driskel. Stroud will look to break the possible curse that was put on the Texans by Bill O'Brian way back when, and step in and win some games for Houston. The Ohio State product was a stellar recruit coming out of high school, and he looked the part when he stepped into the starting role in college following the shadow of Justin Fields. Stroud made several CFP appearances, though he never won the coveted trophy. Looking like a pro's pro, Stroud is a marksman from the pocket, delivering deep, intermediate, and short routes with precise accuracy. Similarly to Young, Stroud put up some Monster numbers in his two years as a starter, with over 8,000 yards and 85 TDs to only 12 interceptions. Stroud worked best from the pocket and dished the ball out to several talented wideouts like Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. His strongest performance came in his sophomore year when Ohio State beat a talented Utah team in the Rose Bowl. Stroud put up 573 yards and 6 TDs en route to a victory. Now, looking at the Texans roster… there is not much to make of help for Stroud. Houston did bring in some free agents, though all were not-so-spectacular players in their own right. This includes WRs Noah Brown and Amari Rodgers, RBs Devin Singletary and Mike Boone, and possibly the "best" addition is TE Dalton Shultz. There are some unproven route runners to give support as well. Wideout John Metchie is expected to return next season after being diagnosed with cancer, and the Texans drafted hometown standout Nathaniel "Tank" Dell. The rookies Dell and Stroud will try to make a quick connection, as there is no solidified WR1 for the Texans after the departure of Brandin Cooks. The offensive line is something of a mess, though Laremy Tunsil provides a somewhat stable tackle. It will truly be a test for CJ Stroud in his first year in Houston. Though size is not an issue, development is, as Stroud was blasted for a cognitive test score that many of his fellow rookie QBs took, where Stroud had one of the worst scores of the class. There are also questionable throws at times, where Stroud just seems off. When he is on though, Stroud is a dangerous QB. 

CJ Stroud, QB, 6'3", 218, 218 lbs

Comp: I am tempted to say Goff, but I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I'll say a Derek Carr type of QB

Pros:

Good physicals, stands tall, and is hard to bring down

Deathly accurate, especially on the sideline

Exquisite footwork and pocket awareness

Decent athlete

Slices teams in man coverage

Cons:

Gets in his head and becomes way off on simple throws

Seems to struggle with zone coverage

Throwing on the run can be troublesome, accuracy becomes poor

Has yet to work with an untalented WR core, and needs to build chemistry with second-tier guys