The Carolina Panthers announced this week that they know exactly who they are taking in the 2023 NFL draft. The team didn’t release a name but acknowledge that they will chose a quarterback on Thursday.
A rumor swirled around on social media that Will Levis would be the quarterback that the Panthers would take with the top pick. They traded D.J. Moore, two first-round picks,and two second-round picks in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick from the Bears in this year’s draft.
After the rumor, the betting odds for Levis jumped from +4000 to +400 in one hour on DraftKings Sportsbook betting site.
Top Pick
Alabama star Bryce Young is widely viewed as the favorite to be the top draft pick, but Anthony Richardson and Levis have continued to rise up the draft boards in recent weeks. Levis had a good pro day and impressed NFL scouts with his arm strength.
Richardson is the most intriguing prospect because of his extremely high ceiling and athletic ability.
Young and C.J. Stroud are the two most consistent and safest players to take at the quarterback position. Both players had great college careers and performed their best in the best games.
Making The Right Choice
It is critical for the Panthers to get this draft pick right because of their recent struggles at the position. Since the release of Cam Newton in 2020, the Panthers have had six different starting quarterbacks over the past three seasons. They also brought back Newton during the 2021 season before he was released again.
They traded for Sam Darnold in 2021 and Baker Mayfield in 2022. Both players are no longer on the team.
They hired new head coach Frank Reich this offseason after they fired former head coach Matt Rhule after two and half seasons with the team.
Reich praised the Panthers scouting staff and their general manager Scott Fitterer for their handling of the pre-draft process.
“There was ebbs and flows during the process,” said Reich in a press conference held on Tuesday. “I don’t want to say there’s any drastic change of mind, but there’s ebbs and flows of how much you like a guy, and that’s why you have to resist the temptation of making your mind up too early. So I thought we as a scouting staff and coaches did a good job of not falling into that trap.”
The Panthers need to rebuild, and that would start with making the right choice on Thursday.
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