Heisman Trophy and the No. 1 pick: Will Bryce Young continue trend at 2023 NFL Draft?

The Carolina Panthers have the opportunity to take Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. 

It worked out the last time Carolina took a Heisman Trophy winner in that spot. 

The Panthers took Cam Newton with the No. 1 pick in 2010. He became a franchise icon, NFL MVP and led Carolina to an appearance in Super Bowl 50.  Four other Heisman Trophy winners with the first have been taken since, and Young could join that list on Thursday if the Panthers go back to the Heisman well. 

So, has the Heisman curse been effectively reversed as the quarterback position? It's a little more complicated than that. 

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Heisman winners and the No. 1 pick 

A total of 23 Heisman Trophy winners have been selected with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft, a trend that started with the first Heisman Trophy winner. 

Jay Berwanger won the Heisman Trophy in 1935 for Chicago, and he was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 1 pick in the 1936 NFL Draft. 

A total of 14 Heisman Trophy winners have been selected No. 1 in the Super Bowl era, which began in 1966. USC's O.J Simpson was the first Heisman winner  taken No. 1 in that winner in 1968. Other Heisman-winning running backs taken No. 1 include Earl Campbell  (1978), Billy Sims (1980), George Rogers (1981) and Bo Jackson (1986). 

Who was the last Heisman Trophy winner to go No. 1? 

LSU's Joe Burrow led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff championship in 2019 with a record-setting season in which he passed for 5,671 yards and 60 TDs. The Cincinnati Bengals took Burrow with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. 

He led Cincinnati to an appearance in Super Bowl LVI in his second season in 2021. 

Heisman QBs and No. 1 pick in Super Bowl era 

Eight Heisman Trophy quarterbacks have been selected with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft in the Super Bowl era. 

Jim Plunkett won the Heisman Trophy at Stanford in 1970 and was the No. 1 pick by New England in the 1971 NFL Draft. He won a pair of Super Bowls with the Oakland Raiders. Vinny Testaverde (1987) was the only other modern era Heisman-winning quarterback taken No. 1 before the 2000 season. 

Heisman QBs and No. 1 pick since 2000 

A total of seven Heisman Trophy winners have been selected with the No. 1 pick since 2000, and those quarterbacks have had varying levels of success at the NFL level: 

Carson Palmer, Cincinnati (2003)  

The three-time Pro Bowl selection spent seven of his 14 seasons with the Bengals before being traded to Oakland and later Arizona. He ranks 15th all time with 294 touchdown passes. 

Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams (2010) 

Bradford pulled down some monster contracts, but he struggled with injuries through an eight-year career with four different franchises. 

Cam Newton, Carolina (2011) 

Newton changed the trajectory of the Panthers' franchise, at least for a while. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection, won the 2015 NFL MVP award and led Carolina to an appearance in Super Bowl 50. He spent 10 seasons with the Panthers before a one-year stint with New England. 

Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay (2015) 

Wintson spent five seasons in Tampa Bay before signing with New Orleans. He led the NFL in passing yards (5,109) and interceptions (30) in 2019. Winston is 34-46 as a starter. 

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland (2018) 

Mayfield led Cleveland to the AFC divisional playoffs in the 2020 season, but there was a falling out the following year. He played with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 and signed with Tampa Bay this offseason. 

Kyler Murray, Arizona (2019) 

Murray has had ups and downs in four seasons with the Cardinals. He's a two-time Pro Bowl selection, but he's also expected to miss the start of the 2023 season while recovering from a torn ACL. 

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati (2020) 

Burrow suffered a season-ending knee injury in his rookie season, but he led the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI in 2021 and the AFC championship game last season. 

Will Bryce Young follow Cam Newton with the Panthers? 

Young won the Heisman Trophy at Alabama in 2021. He enjoyed a remarkable college career in which he passed for 80 TDs and 12 interceptions for the Crimson Tide. 

SN's Vinnie Iyer has Young landing with the Panthers with the No. 1 pick in his latest seven-round mock draft, and that would make him the fourth Heisman Trophy winner to go No. 1 in the last seven years. 

Could Caleb Williams be next in 2024? 

Wait, there's more. USC's Caleb Williams won the Heisman Trophy in 2022. The Trojans quarterback passed for 4,537 yards, 42 TDs and five interceptions last season. He is an early favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

NFL Draft No. 1 picks who won Heisman Trophy 

A total of 23 Heisman Trophy winners have been selected with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. Here is a look at those players: