The Carolina Panthers will be picking first in the 2023 NFL Draft after a surprising trade-up with the Chicago Bears. The Panthers will be looking to snag their signal caller of the future with the top pick of the draft. It’s time to continue our NFL odds series with a Panthers prediction with the top pick in the draft.
The Panthers are in a complete overhaul after an abysmal 2022-2023 season. They went in with the thought that Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield would be their saving grace but that was far from what happened. Darnold was nursing an injury for the majority of the season and Mayfield was subsequently traded at the trade deadline after a rough go as their starting quarterback.
Due to the drastically bad offensive play, the Panthers elected to fire head coach Matt Rhule midway into the season, and rightfully so. He wasn't able to corral the team and have them take that next step forward so he ultimately had to go. Steve Wilks took over and seemed poised to be the next head coach of the Panthers, but they decided to hire the ex-head coach of the Indianapolis Colts Frank Reich.
Now the new-look Panthers are in dire need of a signal caller to push them in the right direction for the foreseeable future. There are three at the top of the list for the Panthers to choose from, let's take a look at the odds and prediction for who the Panthers will take with the number one pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Here are the 2023 NFL Draft odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
2023 NFL Draft Odds: Number 1 Pick Odds
- CJ Stroud: -220
- Bryce Young: +250
- Anthony Richardson: +350
- Will Levis: +3000
- Jalen Carter: +10000
- Will Anderson: +10000
Who Could Be Selected With The 1st Overall Pick
It is almost certain that the Panthers will select their signal caller of the future with the number one pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Now the question is, which of the top-tier quarterbacks will they choose? This is not an easy choice to make as each of the elite quarterbacks of this class has its fair share of pros and cons, so it boils who fits Reich's scheme the best.
The obvious choice as we see on the betting lines would be CJ Stroud, the quarterback from Ohio State. Stroud was able to complete 71% of his passes in his last and final year in college and has the poise to stand there in the pocket even when the defense is screaming at him. He also boasts a 4.65 40-yard time to extend plays and get out of the pocket when needed.
The thing that Reich likes most though is his pocket capabilities much like his quarterbacks in the past Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, and Phillip Rivers. Pocket passers are what thrived in his offensive system and we are sure to see more of that with whoever the Panthers choose as their quarterback of the future.
Then there is also the case of Bryce Young, which can't be ignored. He is the most ready-now prospect out of all of the quarterbacks in this year's NFL Draft. The only drawback coming into the draft is his small stature and the possibility of injuries when going up against elite defenders in the NFL.
With that said, he has the ability to extend plays and get out of the pocket better than every other quarterback in this year's draft, and his decision-making is second to none as well. Coming from a great program like Nick Saban's Alabama, you know that Young can handle a pro-ready style of offense and is ready to take over the heavy workload immediately.
The last of the top-tier bunch of quarterbacks in this year's NFL draft would be Anthony Richardson, who's as raw as they come. He is an absolute freak of nature and we saw that at the scouting combine this year when he was setting quarterback records with a 40.5-inch vertical jump, and a 10-foot-9-inch broad jump. Richardson also had the 4th fastest 40-yard time in the last two decades with 4.43 seconds.
He is also a big boy at 6'4″ and 244 pounds, much like another quarterback drafted by the Panthers in the past that goes by the name of Cam Newton. He may have the athletic attributes that make him appealing to most, but he is still a bit behind Stroud and Young in terms of NFL readiness. He is a project that could be great in the future, but if the Panthers want to draft someone to play right now then Richardson may be out of the equation.
Number 1 Overall Pick Prediction
The Panthers have a ton of great choices to choose from, but from the looks of it, CJ Stroud would be the best fit for a Frank Reich-led offense. Now that the Panthers just signed a great zone-read wide receiver in Adam Thielen, they will need a quarterback with great pocket presence and that to me fits Stroud to a tee.
Number 1 Overall Pick Prediction: CJ Stroud -220
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