Now that the Carolina Panthers have their choice of any quarterback in the 2023 NFL draft, they’ll have to decide—if they haven’t already—who that quarterback will be. And as they enter the evaluation process about a month and a half out from decision time, Adam Schefter named the current favorite.
On Thursday’s episode of NFL Live, the ESPN lead insider stated that Alabama’s Bryce Young is believed to be the clubhouse leader at the moment.
“They made the bold move last week to trade up to get to No. 1. And now, they’ll sift through the quarterback options,” Schefter said. “And I think going into the process of evaluating the quarterbacks, I think that Bryce Young is the favorite to become the No. 1 overall pick.”
Last Friday, Carolina traded the draft’s ninth overall pick, 61st overall pick, a 2024 first-rounder, a 2025 second-rounder and wide receiver DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears for the right to this very power. In addition to Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis are also presumed to be under consideration.
Schefter then likened the Panthers’ situation to that of the San Francisco 49ers’ approach in 2021, when they moved up into that draft’s No. 3 overall spot.
“I think Bryce Young is to the Panthers what Mac Jones was to the 49ers when they traded up,” he added. “They traded up with the idea that they really liked Mac Jones, and then they went through the process and wound up with Trey Lance.
“I think in this particular case, this team moved up with the idea that Bryce Young was a guy that they loved. They also really like C.J. Stroud—he’s definitely got support within the organization. And we’ll see what transpires in the course of evaluations.”
Bryce Young is believed to be the favorite for the Panthers at No. 1 as of right now 👀
"I think Bryce Young is to the Panthers, what Mac Jones was to the 49ers when they traded up." —@AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/5Q9Ybso0NX
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 16, 2023
Those evaluations will hit the road starting next week, when the Panthers travel to Columbus for Stroud’s pro day on Wednesday, March 22. After that, Young will perform on the 23rd, Levis on the 24th and Richardson on the 30th.
