Holding the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in 12 years, the Panthers have a name they are prepared to place on their draft card Thursday night. Frank Reich said GM Scott Fitterer sought his opinion on the pick Monday.
While Reich undoubtedly provided input throughout this thorough process, Fitterer said last week he had not asked the new head coach who his preferred pick was. The Panthers have reached a consensus, via NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe (on Twitter). The long-held expectation is Bryce Young will go first overall, and while the Panthers could end the suspense now, the NFL’s annual preference of building drama will likely prevent any team announcement until Thursday night.
Although C.J. Stroud was believed to be a consideration when the Panthers made their eight-spot trade-up with the Bears, Young has always been in the conversation. The 2021 Heisman winner’s 5-foot-10 frame has generated some concern, and Young himself acknowledged the concern is valid. But Carolina is all but certain to tab the Alabama product as its next franchise-QB hopeful. With the Texans believing to have placed a value gap between Young and this draft’s other QBs, Stroud’s landing spot is foggy as the players prepare to hear their names called in Kansas City.
Cam Newton gave the Panthers franchise-QB certainty for about seven seasons, ascending to the MVP tier and becoming the top passer in team history. But after Newton missed time in 2018, a 2019 foot injury brought his Charlotte run to a close. The Panthers have pivoted to stopgaps in each of the past three seasons, using free agency (Teddy Bridgewater) and the trade routes (Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield) as an effort to fill this gaping hole. The team’s two-offseason push for Deshaun Watson also did not produce a positive outcome.
These failed efforts led the Panthers to giving up their 2024 first-rounder, D.J. Moore and other assets to move up this year. That will certainly intensify the pressure on Reich and Co. to turn Young into an upper-echelon option at the game’s premier position. Frame concerns aside, Young is viewed as the safest option in this draft. It would be shocking if the Panthers went in another direction Thursday.
Stroud’s landing spot is foggy as the players prepare to hear their names called in Kansas City.
==================
I’ve read all the mocks. Virtually none of them mention the S2 scores causing causing guys to move up and down. Every FB fans knows about the S2 scores and probably 100% include that in the assessments.
Is there a gentleman’s agreement amongst writers to not mention that Stroud has a good chance of getting hammered, with about 100% of the rationale being the S2 scores?
Wonderlic or S2 matter for QB’s. It’s a cerebral position at NFL level. There can be such incredible talents that they can get by without the mental gears but those are very few. More frequent are bright guys with noodle arms (Taylor Heinicke) who also can’t make it.
It is assuredly not 100% of fans who consider S2 scores given the vocal contingent opposed to the Wonderlic for the 10 or so years before it was eliminated. I recognize that was a minority but it was still enough to make an impact. But yes, I agree that S2 scores matter to an extent.
“Frame concerns aside, Young is viewed as the safest option in this draft.”
Ummm…those “frame concerns” make him a major outlier and dictate that he’ll have a major uphill battle to succeed in the NFL. Calling him “the safest option in the draft” seems insane. He can’t see over an NFL O-Line and is so skinny that he’ll more than likely have injury issues. I’d consider him one of the riskier options at the top of this draft. Personally, I wouldn’t take him at #1 Bcs he’s such an outlier. Maybe he is Drew Brees, but there’s certainly nothing safe about that happening
It might have been more accurate had the article said “relative to other QBs”, and opposed to the implied “relative to his draft value”.
How many QBs can see OVER the OL when the average IOL is 6’4? Eyes aren’t on the top of your head so even if you match them, you’re looking at the back of helmets. Two inches taller, still the back of helmets. Young’s OL at Bama averaged just under 6’4. So what are you talking about when we complain about his height like he wasn’t one of the best college QBs for the last 2 years.
Young over Stroud is such a huge mistake.
Bama and OSU QB’s are both mistakes.
The track record isn’t great, but those stigmas have seen to have gone away. Fields looks good, Burrow went to OSU before LSU, Hurts was at Bama. There’s few and far in between, but it’s not like any school is 100% on their QBs…
While that’s true, University of Delaware is shooting 50%! (Just a fun random statistic)
1. Rich Gannon
2. Joe Flacco
3. Joff Komlo
4. Scott Brunner
Anybody else surprised the Reich seems to have had almost no say in the selection? Looks like Tepper has become the next Jerry Jones…
In my view all teams are operating as bloated bureaucracies. Decisions aren’t made without an advisory committee and consensus being reached. No one has the cajones to be a true leader. The only thing front office executives care about besides their fat salary is having a fall guy available to throw under the bus when the s–t hits the fan.
I suspect Reich was told “the rules” prior to taking the Carolina job. He’s got a big money 4-year contract, thus sometimes you just suck it up and put your convictions aside in order to bank the cash.
I wouldn’t make the comparison to Jones, considering that Reich’s last owner did this exact thing to him. No need to look further than his own history for a comparison.
If I was GM of a QB needy team with a top pick this year, I’d trade down for a haul and get a #1 next season. I’m not big on any of the top QBs this season. I’d build my team with the picks and draft a QB next season, which will be a much better class.
That’s what I’m hoping Houston does. Or pick one of the edge rushers and get the QB next year – or take a flier with their second first rounder/second round pick.
Feels like every year tons of people say “next year’s QB class will be WAY better” and then it almost never happens. When it does, a guy like Josh Allen pans out but the 3 “safer” options all bust.
Make the smart move and get Bijan 😉
I just LOVE how everyone thinks Reich has this jist AWESOME offense awaiting the QB. LMAO
Who thinks that? They traded CMC and DJ Moore. I haven’t heard anyone say they’re going to turn this around in one offseason.
Two words: Will Levis.
Young is the best available QB, just gota get em in weight room w/pro strength cch n fatten em up w/pro dietician@ ‘training’ table. He passes all the eye tests as far as ability on game film, kid is a winner n has always accepted challenges b4 em n excelled. Sure u wish he was 6’3 n weighed 220, there have been n are QBs that R 6’0 n shorter like Brees. He is goin into HOF n if he had dollar 4everytime he heard ‘ur2 short 2b NFL QB’ in his Life it’d prob equal the millions he did earn playing. He is the safest n smartest choice of this drafts QB class. Don’t overthink it, it is what it is n the other QBs have more question marks n holes in there game than Young. Do the math.
There has litteraly been 2 QBs under 6 foot with success Brees and Wilson and both of them are taller then Young
To be fair – someone has to be the shortest.
If I were the Carolina GM, I would have either stood pat at no8 or even traded down to draft WIll Levis.
I know everybody is debating if it’s Stroud or Young. I honestly think the team who drafts Levis will get the most return.
…similar to KC drafting Mahomes well after Trubisky and nearly after Watson in 2017.
Not comparing Levis to Mahomes… but leading up to the draft, Mahomes was almost an analyst afterthought to Trubisky and Watson… but wound up being far and away the better choice in the end.
Unfortunately, for Carolina, Levis would rightly be considered a reach at no1. But IMO he’s the pick they should make.
…some team picking no10-20 is going to be glad they didn’t.
You can count on 4 fingers successful tiny quarterbacks. Little men don’t cut it in the NFL at the most important position in the game. Sorry this kid may have all the intangibles but he hasn’t faced 12 supreme athletes on defense 17 times a year.
S Luckman, B Kilmer, L Dawson, F Tarkenton, S Jurgensen, J Theismann, P Haden, T Detmer, D Flutie, D Brees, M Vick, R Wilson, K Murray, T Tajovailoa, B Mayfield, all 6’0 n under n that’s not counting how many guys were listed 6’1 n that was fabrication, how many 6’5 meatheads have washed out of league, even taller n w/bazookas 4arms, can’t measure the intangibles, all these “short” QBs found a way to play in NFL, they found passing lanes, n were able2 get the ball dwn the field, they adapted they overcame there “short”comings, Young is real deal n best QB available, plenty of huge QBs riding bench in college 3rd, 4th string n can’t start in mid major college, height is nice but overrated, he’s not 5’6, we’ll have2 revisit this conversation dwn the road n time will tell
QBs from the 90s or earlier aren’t really relevant because players were smaller.
Ty detmer lol lol lol lol pat Haden bwaaaaaaa baker Mayfield omg omg omg I’m crying I’m laughing so hard.
it’s good that Carolina is keeping their decision a secret, so that no one will trade to get in front of them and take their guy
What? They have the 1st pick, NO one can trade in front of them. There isn’t a pick ZERO, well aside from MIAMI lol, but they are 1st for better or worse. Anyhow they should stay quiet until draft night. You don’t want other teams to have time to strategize and know what they are going to do until the 1st pick is locked in.
It’s called a joke….
It was a bad joke…
It was a good joke and play on the fact that its literally only for bookies to make money when they already know the result.
Bad commenter doesn’t understand good joke.
Save your negative comments, Bad commenter? Please… Now I know your joking clown.
You’re.