The Carolina Panthers are on the clock with the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, and everyone is interested to see who they will end up selecting. While Bryce Young is widely expected to be their selection with the top pick, that wasn't always the case, largely because the Panthers initially didn't have the top pick in the draft. They pulled off a massive blockbuster trade with the Chicago Bears to land the pick, but in the process, they lost their top wide receiver in DJ Moore, who was sent to the Bears as part of the deal.
Moore had quickly established himself as one of the top wideouts in the league, and a seemingly untouchable piece of the Panthers rebuild, early on in his career. Instead, he got sent to the Bears as part of this deal, even if the Panthers really didn't want to move him here. In fact, Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer admitted that Moore was the final piece that helped get this deal done.
Panthers’ GM Scott Fitterer admitted that WR DJ Moore was the last trade piece the Chicago Bears needed before agreeing to deal away the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday night’s draft:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 24, 2023
Trading Moore seems to have been a tough pill to swallow for Fitterer and the Panthers, but it was necessary to get the deal done. Carolina clearly feels good enough about Young, or whoever they end up drafting with the first overall pick, to the point where trading Moore pretty much became a necessity, but sometimes, that's a risk you have to take to land a star caliber quarterback.
For our NFL comps for the top 2023 QB draft prospects, listen below:
Moore will have a chance to help another quarterback in Justin Fields take a step forward in the 2023 season, but Carolina likely would have preferred he was still with the Panthers catching passes from their new quarterback. Still, it was a move the Panthers felt they needed to make, and on Thursday night, we will see who they believed giving up Moore for was worth.
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