Bryce Young’s rookie season gave him several scars.

Young didn’t live up to his expectations coming out of the University of Alabama as the No. 1 overall pick. He led the Carolina Panthers to a 2-15 record while the offense finished last in yards, 265.3, and points, 13.9, per game, and Young ended the year with a 73.7 passer rating.

Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen believes that the adversity Young faced will spur him forward to be a great leader.

“I told Bryce after the season was over, I said ‘I know this was a difficult season for you and many others,’ but I think it’s the best thing that could happen to him,” Thielen said during an upcoming appearance on Monday’s edition of NFL Network’s The Insiders. “I truly believe he’s going to look back 10 years or 15 years from now and he’s going to say, ‘I’m so glad that happened my rookie year, the adversity that I had to face.’

“The things that were out of his control that happened, I really think made him a stronger leader, stronger person, stronger man. I’m really excited to see him take what happened last year and really build off of it. Take some of the positives and learn from the negatives as a team as well. I’m really excited to see his career unfold and I’m glad and very excited to be a part of the first few years to see what happens.”

Despite Young’s struggles, Thielen enjoyed one of the more productive seasons of his career. The 33-year-old nabbed 103 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Young’s season ended with 59.8% of his passes complete for 2,877 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

In Young’s year two, the Panthers added Xavier Legette, Diontae Johnson, Jonathon Brooks and two offensive line contributors – all appear ready to contribute once the 2024 season is underway.

After the struggles of Young’s rookie season, Thielen thinks he has everything he needs to be the leader he was at Alabama.