The Houston Texans won’t have a shot at Bryce Young at No. 2 overall. There is no way the Carolina Panthers would spoil the opportunity to take the Alabama quarterback No. 1 overall.
If the new hype surrounding Kentucky quarterback Will Levis gets to tulipomaniacal levels, then perhaps the Texans will have a chance to take Young.
Levis surged in the odds world from +4000 to be selected atop the 2023 NFL draft to +400 on Tuesday. All because someone on Reddit posted that Levis was telling family and friends the Panthers were going to take him No. 1 overall.
Even Pete Prisco from CBS Sports jumped on board and had the Panthers take Levis in his “what they should do” mock draft.
Yes, I would take him first. His situation was terrible at Kentucky last year. But the disdain for his game has gone over the top and Carolina would be getting a future star if they took him.
As Napoleon Bonaparte said: never interrupt your enemy when they in the midst of a mistake. The Panthers could draft Ohio State center Luke Wypler No. 1 overall; it doesn’t matter. So long as Carolina is moving off of Young, it allows the Texans an opportunity to complete their definitive vision in shoring up quarterback.
Of course, that is all that the Levis story is: hype. Just as how Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud “won” the combine in early March in Indianapolis because they had strong throwing sessions for a live audience on NFL Network and Young was saving his stuff for Alabama’s pro day.
The Panthers know who they are taking to kick off the draft Thursday night, and it may not be Tuesday’s odds on favorite. However, if Carolina were to take a Wildcat, it would bring relief to Houston sports fans.
