Colin Cowherd picks Bryce Young's Panthers as dark horses for 2023 NFL season - "NFC is wide open"

Colin Cowherd has made his mind up on quarterback Bryce Young to the point that he believes the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft will ensure that the Carolina Panthers are in the postseason.

That is a tall order given they missed out on the playoffs in the recently concluded season, but the NFL commenter based his reasoning on the fact that there are always unexpected teams that make it out of the regular season.

He cited that going back nearly three decades, there have been at least four teams in the playoffs that did not qualify last year, with an average of six.

He is counting the Carolina Panthers as one of the teams this year, saying:

"I have decided that Carolina is my surprise team in the league this year. Somebody doubles their win total. We went and looked this morning... over the last, you go back to the 90s. The average is six new playoff teams and at least four."

Colin Cowherd further explained that he is having a hard time picking in the AFC because there are so many dominant quarterbacks in the teams in that conference.

But the NFC seems up for grabs beyond the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers. Aaron Rodgers has left the conference after moving to the New York Jets and Tom Brady has retired, meaning there are spots open there.

The NFC South, especially, was very weak last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning the division despite a losing 9-8 record.

Cowherd believes that the rookie Carolina quarterback can step into that void:

"So I don't see a ton of surprises in the AFC because the quarterbacks are so good and dominant. The NFC though is kind of wide open after Philadelphia and the Niners roster… I think Carolina is going to be surprisingly capable with Bryce Young."

Is Colin Cowherd right in his assumption that Bryce Young will be leading the team?

Despite being the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, the NFL is not the same as college football. And the coaching heads at the Carolina Panthers seem to know that, having given indications that Andy Dalton will be their starter to begin the season.

This might not be a bad strategy but if the results do not stack up, there will be public clamor to put Bryce Young in. But if Dalton shines, then they might get to the playoffs, but without the influence of their new quarterback, as Colin Cowherd said.

If that happens, the Panthers will be more than happy to save him for the future as he continues to find his feet and develop as an NFL QB.