Grading NFL QBs on rookie contracts: Panthers’ Bryce Young earns highest mark, Cam Ward gets ‘D+’

When a franchise has a quarterback on a rookie deal, it's a constant evaluation process. "Is this the quarterback that can win us a Lombardi trophy?" is the question that GMs and fanbases alike ask themselves on a weekly basis. Four weeks into the season, and I'd argue two young quarterbacks have answered that with a resounding "yes" who, prior to the season, we were far more unsure about, while numerous others with high hopes are still waiting for an answer. Here's how every rookie contract starter has graded out through four weeks.

Young has been given arguably the longest leash of any first-round quarterback in modern NFL history and that patience is finally bearing fruit in year four. Last year, Young ranked 27th among starters in EPA/dropback and barely cracked 3,000 yards for the season. Now, no one has more passing yards through four games than Young's 1,268 (317 per game) and he ranks 9th in EPA/dropback. The Panthers have scored 32 or more points in three of their four games after accomplishing that feat precisely zero times a season ago. It's the football equivalent of a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.

So how did it happen exactly? The…

Original source: https://www.cbssports.com/