The Carolina Panthers traded quite a bit to put themselves on the clock for the 2023 NFL draft. That first pick ended up costing them the ninth overall selection, the 61st overall selection, a 2024 first-rounder, a 2025 second-rounder and No. 1 wideout DJ Moore.
So, they must feel pretty good about at least one of this year’s quarterback prospects . . . right?
On Monday, general manager Scott Fitterer spoke with reporters about the team’s activity since the 2023 NFL Scouting combine. Among that activity, of course, was their rush to the top of the draft board—a move inspired by their confidence in a few of the upcoming passers.
“At the combine, I said, ‘If you’re gonna go up, you better have conviction.’ And we have conviction on players at that top, that we feel good about,” he said.
Fitterer also said that the Panthers aren’t particularly set on just one of those players either.
“Yeah, we’re still going through the process right now,” he added. “Obviously, we have our ideas. You’re not gonna make a move like that without having that pretty much cemented. But now, we’re going through the process of talking to the players and really getting to know them.”
They’ll really get to knowing them this week, when the pro days for each of the draft’s top quarterback prospects begin. And it all starts on Wednesday, with Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud.
