Carolina has a chance to solve its QB problems while the Bears look to keep building around Justin Fields.
One of the pressing questions of the early NFL offseason was answered emphatically on Friday, when the Chicago Bears dealt the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft to the Carolina Panthers for a package including wide receiver DJ Moore, two first-round picks (2023 and 2024) and two second-round picks (2023 and 2025).
The move marked the first time since 2016, when the Los Angeles Rams moved up to select quarterback Jared Goff, that the No. 1 pick was dealt prior to draft day.
The move resets the draft strategy for both teams and could dramatically change the landscape for quarterback-hungry teams selecting in the top 10. The top two betting favorites to be the No. 1 pick as of Friday night were former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud (-225) and former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (+175), according to Caesars Sportsbook.
NFL reporters David Newton and Courtney Cronin offer details on what the megadeal could mean for both Carolina and Chicago heading into the April 27-29 draft, and beyond.
This means Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud or Kentucky’s Will Levis will be Carolina’s starting quarterback at some point in 2023, maybe even Week 1. While Carolina hasn’t settled on one of the three at this point, according to a source with direct knowledge of trade talks, it would be a hard sell to go with Florida’s Anthony Richardson, who is considered more of a project.
But having control of the top pick assures that general manager Scott Fitterer and coach Frank Reich will get their preferred quarterback to work with the staff of Reich, senior assistant Jim Caldwell and first-year quarterbacks coach Josh McCown.
The early favorites for No. 1 are Young and Stroud, who both seemed to impress the Carolina staff most at the NFL combine, particularly Young.
„He’s just like chill,“ Fitterer said of the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner, whose only real drawback is size (5-foot-10, 204 pounds). „Nothing’s too big for him.“
A quarterback operating on a rookie deal will give Carolina room to continue building the rest of the roster.
