The Carolina Panthers are eyeing someone other than Alabama quarterback Bryce Young atop the 2023 NFL Draft, according to former linebacker Thomas Davis. The ex-Panthers star suggested on NFL Network that Carolina will instead draft Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson with the No. 1 overall pick.
The Panthers traded for the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft with the intention of taking a quarterback. In response to NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah predicting that Carolina would select Young, Davis said the Panthers would go with a more surprising pick.
“I don't think he's gonna be their pick,” Thomas Davis said of Young.
“There are a couple of guys upstairs that are enamored by the physical ability of Anthony Richardson.”
.@MoveTheSticks has Bryce Young going #1 to Carolina…@ThomasDavisSDTM disagrees "It will be a very very surprising pick" 👀 pic.twitter.com/LqBEMfbdRo
— NFL Total Access (@NFLTotalAccess) March 21, 2023
Young has largely been viewed as the best quarterback in the draft for months. There's only a small chance that the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner will still be on the board when the No. 3 overall pick arrives.
Richardson has been moving up draft boards since the NFL Scouting Combine. The Florida quarterback had arguably the most impressive showing by any quarterback in combine history. Richardson set quarterback records with a 40.5-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 10 feet, nine inches. And he did it while standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 244 pounds.
Despite his measurements and athleticism, Richardson would be a risky No. 1 overall pick. The quarterback is extremely raw after just one season as a college football starter. Richardson completed 53.8% of his passes for 2.549 yards. Richardson might also have the highest ceiling of any player in the draft.
The Panthers acquired the No. 1 pick in exchange for wide receiver DJ Moore, the No. 9 pick, a 2023 second-round pick, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 second-rounder.
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