The intent of general manager Scott Fitterer to be “in on every deal” is probably part of why the Carolina Panthers are suddenly on the clock. And now, it feels like they’re in on every quarterback.
On Friday night, the Panthers succeeded in their mad rush to the top of the 2023 NFL draft board—acquiring the No. 1 overall selection from the Chicago Bears in exchange for wide receiver DJ Moore and a handful of top picks. That newly acquired asset will, of course, be used on a quarterback—barring another trade, that is.
But which quarterback will it be?
We’ve heard of their rave reviews for Alabama’s Bryce Young, their owner’s alleged affinity for Kentucky’s Will Levis and a supposed lead for Ohio State’s CJ Stroud. But now, even in contrast to a past report, Florida’s Anthony Richardson may very much be in the mix, according to ESPN’s Todd McShay.
He writes in his latest mock draft:
We still don’t know which signal-caller Carolina will target, and it could truthfully be any of the top four names. I’ve even heard a little buzz about Carolina being interested in Florida’s Anthony Richardson, who is a raw prospect but is coming off a huge combine performance.
The fact is, we’ll continue to hear rumblings of interest from all angles—especially with the Panthers being open to trading down from the top spot. With over a month left until the draft, the game is still being played.
So maybe Carolina has kept Richardson in consideration after all. Only time will tell.
(Oh, and in case you were wondering, McShay mocked Young to the Panthers with his first selection.)
