CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After a sluggish start to his rookie campaign, No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young needs a hype man to keep fans excited about the Panthers' offense.
Consider Mike McDaniel the man for the job. The Dolphins' head coach offered effusive praise for Young during his weekly news conference ahead of Miami's game against the Panthers on Sunday.
"Baller with a bright future," McDaniel said when asked what he's seen from Young on film. "He's one of the few young quarterbacks that you see coming out that see defenders when operating as a quarterback. His vision is uncanny and his timing and rhythm to the game, you can see that he's going to be a very good player in this league."
Through four games, Young has completed roughly 64% of his passes for 750 yards and 5 touchdowns. He's also thrown 4 interceptions. Young missed Carolina's game at Seattle due to an ankle injury he suffered in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.
Despite being the starter for the NFL's only winless team to date, McDaniel isn't selling his stock in Young's future. If anything, he's more confident that Young's going to pan out in the long run.
"There's nothing more difficult than being a rookie starting quarterback," McDaniel said. "What I've seen is a guy that's showing his talent through the rhythm of plays and learning certain things. He's uncanny in the pocket with how he moves and he'll continue to get better and better extending plays."
Carolina's middling passing attack is a far cry from the Dolphins' high-flying offense that leads the NFL in yards and first downs. Tua Tagovailoa has passed for 1,614 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Nearly half of his pass attempts (47.6%) have gone for first downs. Tagovailoa also went to Alabama, which gives McDaniel a little more insight into how Young's former teammates feel about him.
"There's a reason the guys he's played with in college, how much respect they have for him," he said. "If you don't believe me, just ask any Bama player. You can see why he's earned the respect of not only rookies, but the veterans on that team."
Young said Wednesday that he's talked with Tagovailoa a few times, including this past offseason.
"We've had some conversations," Young said. "It's great to see him being able to have the success he's had. He's a big reason why I ended up going to Alabama, and seeing that translate and seeing him flourish at the level is great."
The Panthers visit Miami Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast by FOX.
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