We are experiencing so much history in the National Football League.
Super Bowl LVII gave us the first two black starting quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes II (Kansas City Chiefs) and Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles).
RELATED: Bryce Young echoes famous Nick Saban quotes after No. 1 overall Panthers selection
On Thursday, we witnessed two black quarterbacks selected with the top two picks of the NFL Draft, Bryce Young and CJ Stroud. Young went No. 1 overall to the Carolina Panthers, while Stroud went No. 2 to the Houston Texans.
The California natives are good friends from all the competitions they had in high school. Young became Alabama’s first-ever Heisman winner at quarterback, and Stroud had a successful career at Ohio State. Young spoke glowing of Stroud’s leadership and character during a segment from The Pivot, following a pre-draft report that was trying to knock Stroud down in the draft.
Young spoke about the pride he takes in seeing he and his friend be selected with the first two picks of the NFL Draft as black quarterbacks.
Bryce Young talks about his relationship with CJ Stroud and being the first two black quarterbacks to be selected No. 1 and No. 2 in NFL Draft history. pic.twitter.com/s7RDBD0gDY
— Touchdown Alabama (@TDAlabamaMag) April 28, 2023
“That is my brother,” Young said about Stroud. “To go through this process with him along with other teammates I played with, for us to experience this together means a lot to me. For it to be two black quarterbacks being picked one and two, that means a lot. I am going to do everything I can to improve, and I know the work is not done. There is a lot that had to happen, there are a lot of people that paved the way for this to happen. I am super grateful to be a part of this, and I am super grateful for the pioneers who broke those barriers down.”
Young is looking forward to making a difference in the league with the Panthers.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
