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Size might not matter to one of the Carolina Panthers' newest hog mollies.
Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com recently covered center Luke Fortner's transition to Charlotte. After splitting the first four seasons of his NFL career between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New Orleans Saints, the former third-round pick joined the reigning NFC South champs on a one-year deal this past spring.
Part of that transition will include building chemistry with quarterback Bryce Young, who is quite a bit shorter than the previous passers Fortner worked with. As opposed to the 6-foot-6 Trevor Lawrence and the 6-foot-5 Tyler Shough, Fortner now has to snap to the 5-foot-10 Young.
But does the contrast in height make his job more difficult?
"There's really not much," Fortner said of the difference, via Hill. "The only thing is Trevor might be able to catch a snap that's a little higher than Bryce, but put it where it's supposed to be, you don't have to. I mean, there's no world in which it's not my fault on that one."
Fortner, at least according to Pro Football Focus, is fresh off the best season of his pro tenure. He graded out with career-highs in overall offense (66.5), pass blocking (72.5) and run blocking (65.3) in 2025.
Given his experience, Fortner may be the early favorite to win the starting center job over rookie Sam Hecht—whom the Panthers selected in the fifth round of the 2026 draft. The winner of that position battle will be first up to try and replace Cade Mays, Young's primary center from the last two campaigns.
Luckily for Fortner, his spring workouts with Young apparently went rather well.
"It feels a lot better because you get to experience this time of year and these OTAs in the spring with Bryce," Fornter stated. "So, I'm really excited about the way it's feeling."
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: New Panthers center speaks on adjusting to Bryce Young's height
Continue reading...
Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com recently covered center Luke Fortner's transition to Charlotte. After splitting the first four seasons of his NFL career between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New Orleans Saints, the former third-round pick joined the reigning NFC South champs on a one-year deal this past spring.
Part of that transition will include building chemistry with quarterback Bryce Young, who is quite a bit shorter than the previous passers Fortner worked with. As opposed to the 6-foot-6 Trevor Lawrence and the 6-foot-5 Tyler Shough, Fortner now has to snap to the 5-foot-10 Young.
But does the contrast in height make his job more difficult?
"There's really not much," Fortner said of the difference, via Hill. "The only thing is Trevor might be able to catch a snap that's a little higher than Bryce, but put it where it's supposed to be, you don't have to. I mean, there's no world in which it's not my fault on that one."
Fortner, at least according to Pro Football Focus, is fresh off the best season of his pro tenure. He graded out with career-highs in overall offense (66.5), pass blocking (72.5) and run blocking (65.3) in 2025.
Given his experience, Fortner may be the early favorite to win the starting center job over rookie Sam Hecht—whom the Panthers selected in the fifth round of the 2026 draft. The winner of that position battle will be first up to try and replace Cade Mays, Young's primary center from the last two campaigns.
Luckily for Fortner, his spring workouts with Young apparently went rather well.
"It feels a lot better because you get to experience this time of year and these OTAs in the spring with Bryce," Fornter stated. "So, I'm really excited about the way it's feeling."
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: New Panthers center speaks on adjusting to Bryce Young's height
Continue reading...
