Steve Smith Gets Brutally Honest About Bryce Young: ‘You’re Only As Good As Your Company'

Last year, Steve Smith was fully on board the Bryce Young hype train. Smith gushed over the former Alabama QB after his "remarkable" Pro Day performance last spring and vocally advocated for the Carolina Panthers to select him No. 1 overall, which they did.

But Young's rookie season wasn't at all what it was cracked up to be. Carolina struggled to the tune of a 2-15 record in 2023, while second overall pick C.J. Stroud took the Houston Texans to the playoffs and ran away with the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. So on Thursday's episode of RG3 and The Ones, Robert Griffin III asked Smith if he was still "all in" on the Panthers' young quarterback.

"Well, I liked Bryce Young initially," the former All-Pro receiver replied. "Right? We have to pick a guy. That’s our job. We have to pick a guy. Because I picked Bryce and said we should go with Bryce, that doesn’t mean that I think C.J. [Stroud] can’t play. I said, just like other people reported, Bryce’s processing was faster than C.J.’s."

(Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Smith — along with many within the Panthers organization during the scouting process — were reportedly "shocked" at how mentally advanced Young was.

"But at the end of the day, a smart kid can look dumb if he’s around a lot of dumb people. And a dumb kid, or a smart kid, can be really smart if he’s around a lot of smart people. And what I’m sayin’ is — you’re only as good as your company, and your company can only heighten and elevate you."

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Young's "company" last season included wide receivers who struggled to get separation and an offensive line that allowed the second-most sacks in the NFL. The Panthers also fired his head coach after 12 weeks. All of these factors culminated in a rookie season where Young threw for just 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while averaging 179.8 passing yards per game.

And so the Panthers are bringing in more smart people to ensure Young's sophomore campaign goes a whole lot better. Newly named head coach Dave Canales — known for his prowess with quarterbacks — plans to build a scheme around Young's strengths, which should help tremendously. They've also been busy beefing up the O-line in free agency.

Ultimately, an underwhelming rookie season isn't the end of the world for Bryce Young. But there's certainly a sense of urgency heading into 2024.