The Carolina Panthers are reportedly undecided on what quarterback to take after trading with the Chicago Bears to acquire the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is favored by Panthers owner David Tepper, while Ohio State signal-caller C.J. Stroud may be preferred by head coach Frank Reich.
“Just hung up the phone with someone in the organization and I said, ‘There’s a belief that David Tepper likes Bryce Young, Frank Reich likes C.J. Stroud,” Schefter said on SportsCenter. “And they said, ‘We love all these quarterbacks and we’ve got 48 days to make a decision on which one we’ll be taking.'”
ESPN’s David Newton broke down the Panthers’ thinking further:
The reason the Panthers wanted the top pick was it gives them the most options, but should they fall in love with a couple of quarterbacks they would consider trading back a spot or two, per league source.
The Panthers reportedly sent
Four quarterbacks stand above the rest in the 2023 class: Young, Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis.
Among that group, Young and Stroud stand out the most. The latest consensus big board from NFL Mock Draft Database has Young at No. 1 overall and Stroud at No. 3 (Alabama edge-rusher Will Anderson Jr. sits between them).
Both players dominated in college and led their teams to a pair of Top Six finishes in the Associated Press polls in 2021 and 2022. They both appear primed for great success in the NFL, making a decision between the two that much harder.
Regardless, the Panthers will get their top choice as they look to stop constant change at the quarterback position since the Cam Newton era ended.
