The immediate reaction to the huge trade between the Carolina Panthers and the Chicago Bears involving the No. 1 pick in the draft is that the Bears are big winners and the Panthers have given up far too much to get their quarterback of choice.
In short, the Bears traded the No. 1 pick to Carolina for 4 picks and wide receiver DJ Moore
Knee jerk reactions are dangerous. There is quite a bit that went into the decision for the Panthers to send their first- and second-round picks this year (9th and 61st selections), a 2024 first-round selection and a 2025 second-round pick so they can select their quarterback of the future.
New Top-10 Mock Draft after Bears and Panthers trade, per @PFF_Mike 👀 pic.twitter.com/6NFM4OmNV1
— PFF (@PFF) March 10, 2023
Actually, the Panthers have not said who they will draft with the No. 1 pick and they have not guaranteed that it will be a quarterback. However, the Panthers have been searching for the answer at that position for years, and new head coach Frank Reich is a former quarterback himself and clearly an offensive minded coach.
This is the third time the Panthers have had the top pick. They had it in 1995, but traded it to the Cincinnati Bengals. They also had the top pick in 2011 and selected Auburn's Cam Newton. He went on to lead the Panthers to the Super Bowl and win the MVP in the 2015 season.
Need at quarterback
It can be argued that the Panthers have not had solid play at the quarterback position since that Super Bowl year. Newton started to underperform after that season, and the quarterbacks that have followed have struggled.
There are two high-profile candidates for the No. 1 spot in the draft in Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud. Will Levis of Kentucky is also very highly rated and is likely to go in the first round, but Young and Stroud are the true headliners.
Stroud offers huge upside
Stroud has a big advantage over Young, and it comes from the measurables. The Ohio State quarterback is 6-3 and 215 pounds, while his Alabama counterpart is 5-10 1/8 and 204 pounds.
There is no denying Young's skills, but a smaller quarterback in the NFL is a huge question mark. No matter how mobile or resourceful, it is difficult for a quarterback who is shorter than 6-2 to see over the line of scrimmage on an every-down basis. Can a player overcome that issue? Probably, but finding the openings and getting the ball downfield will be a major challenge.
Stroud does not have that problem. He is a big man who looks very comfortable passing from the pocket, and he demonstrated the ability to get away from a heavy pass rush in the College Football Playoff game against Georgia and buy time for his receivers to get open.
Stroud is coming off two sensational seasons for the Buckeyes. He completed 317 of 441 passes for 4,435 yards with 44 TD passes and 6 interceptions in 2021, and he followed that up by completing 258 of 389 passes for 3,688 yards with 41 TD passes and 6 interceptions last season.
Stroud showed off an excellent deep arm at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, and he also demonstrated big play ability while throwing for Ohio State. He also has excellent touch on his short and medium-range passes.
In addition to the skills, Stroud has a calm demeanor and he appears to be the type of quarterback who will play as well in the 4th quarter when the game is on the line as he does in the first.
The Panthers need a quarterback, and Stroud has the skills and make up to be successful. He appears to have earned the prestige that goes with being the No. 1 pick in the draft.
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