Experts weigh in on Carolina Panthers’ quarterback options in NFL draft
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2023 NFL Draft
The Carolina Panthers hold the top pick in this year’s draft and there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding the team and what it will do. Check out all our pre-draft coverage here.
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The Carolina Panthers have a pressing decision to make after trading for the No. 1 overall draft pick Friday.
Team owner David Tepper, head coach Frank Reich, and general manager Scott Fitterer are in a position to select the team’s first franchise quarterback since Cam Newton was drafted in 2011.
But unlike picking Newton, this decision is far from a no-brainer. A case can be made for each of the top quarterbacks. Alabama’s Bryce Young is a Heisman winner and was the consensus No. 1 quarterback in college football last season. C.J. Stroud is a Heisman finalist who finished an electric two-year run at Ohio State with 3,688 yards and 41 touchdown passes. Last week, Florida’s Anthony Richardson (who has been calling himself “Cam Jackson” since 11th grade) broke several NFL combine records. And Kentucky’s Will Levis demonstrated in Indianapolis why he believes his arm is the strongest in class.
The Observer talked quarterbacks with three experts: Former New York Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid, and national scout Damian Parson of The Draft Network.
Is Bryce Young too small to bet on?
All three experts agreed Young is not too small to succeed in the NFL but there are reasons to worry bout his slight frame. Young, who measured at 5-foot-10 and slightly over 200 pounds, is about the same size as Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
“Look, it’s a concern. But Drew Brees and Russell Wilson have had great careers. And Bryce Young has shown great character,” Tannenbaum said. “He’s really smart and has great attention to detail, plus great fundamentals. He makes his teammates better. There’s just a lot to like about him.”
Young’s leadership skills and overall demeanor separate him from Murray. Evaluators are confident he’ll master the rigors of being an undersized quarterback. Similar to Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts, Young is a safe bet because of his character.
Tannenbaum and Reid both have Young as their No. 1 quarterback.
“I think Bryce is more natural, more poised, and has better composure than Kyler. The leadership is better too,” Reid said. “He did it in the best conference in college football. And he did it at a very high level, so I don’t think he’s too small.”
Parson agrees. He likes how Young avoids pocket pressure, creating off-script passing opportunities downfield.
“He has taken big hits, in and out of the pocket. And for the most part, he stays healthy,” Parson said. “He tends to protect himself and not open himself up to those big shots, especially as a runner in open fields. So I feel like he’s cognizant of his size and protects himself pretty well.”
Should CJ Stroud be the No. 1 pick?
All year, Parson ranked Young as QB1. Then Stroud left evaluators awestruck after nearly upsetting Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinals. That night, Parson moved Stroud ahead of Young. Stroud only validated Parson’s decision with his combine performance.
“He is very worthy of going No. 1 overall because I don’t believe that he’s at his ceiling yet,” Parson said. “He is the best and purest passer in his class. From ball placement to accuracy at all three levels, he knows how to put touch on it. I compare him to a multispeed pitcher, in terms of when and how to put the right amount of sauce on throws. Some guys overcompensate because they don’t have the biggest arm. Or they have the biggest arm but they don’t know how to throw a change-up. He has all of that in his bag.”
Reid would not be surprised if Stroud is the No. 1 pick.
“I would have no problem with him being picked first. He’s by far the most polished of all the quarterbacks in this group. He’s accurate. He’s very precise. And he’s just consistent with all of his mechanics,” Reid said. “So I think he’s going to be ready Week 1, whoever drafts him. I would trot him out there for the first game of the season and see what happens.”
At the combine, Stroud said he’s been the best player in college football for the past two years. He backed that talk up with his throwing workouts. Tannenbaum said he was most impressed by how Stroud completed every throw despite working repeatedly with unfamiliar receivers.
Since the Georgia game, Stroud has done everything he can to close the gap between him and Young.
“I thought CJ Stroud had an unbelievable workout. He’s QB1-A for me,” Tannenbaum said. “He threw it flawlessly at the combine. And then when you look at the tape against Georgia. I thought he played really well in that game against a great defense. I like him a lot. I think he’s gonna be really, really good.”
What situation is best for Anthony Richardson?
Geography is often destiny in the NFL. Landing in a nurturing situation is important for any quarterback but it’s vital for Richardson. The redshirt sophomore started only 13 career games at Florida and completed 53.8% of his throws this season. Reid describes Richardson’s tape as “a roller coaster of highs and lows.”
“The trickiest part about Anthony’s evaluation is that he has a ton of flaws. But the only way he’s going to work through those flaws is to play,” Reid said. “With him, you need a veteran in front of him, whether it’s for half a season or a full season. I wouldn’t just throw him in ... because I think it’d be a disaster. But the only way he’s going to work through those lows is to get experience through a trial-and-error period. But when are you ready? Or when are you comfortable, with that trial-and-error period?”
Those questions are important. Both Reid and Parson see Carolina as an ideal landing spot for Richardson. The team could then pair Richardson with a veteran like Sam Darnold or Jacoby Brissett via free agency.
Reich has stressed the importance of quarterback stability. That’s the point of trading for the No. 1 pick. Richardson aligns with Reich’s “protect the football” ideologies but he does not project as a Week 1 starter. However, landing in Carolina could be ideal.
“The Panthers are a really good situation for him just because they have built a nest of quarterback developers and guys that have experience at play in that position. Josh McCown is a great hire. The fact that he’s been in an NFL locker room for 16 years. Jim Caldwell has done a fantastic job as a head coach, and Frank Reich is a quarterback developer as well,” Reid said. “The Panthers are in a great situation if they want to draft Anthony just because of the proven quarterback developers that they have on the coaching staff.”
Organizational patience will be key for Richardson.
“It’s going to take patience. We’re a league now that has like, outlawed patience and developing young quarterbacks,” Tannenbaum said. “When we were at the Jets, Chad Pennington did not play for two years, and then came in and played great. Aaron Rodgers played in six games in three years. I would not rush him, and I would give him time to develop. ... You’re trying to make Anthony Richardson successful for the next 10 years, not the next couple of months.”
What propels Will Levis to the top?
Levis is not the biggest, fasted or most accurate quarterback in this class. He recorded a fumble or interception in all but three starts last season. He turns 24 in June, making him two years older than the three other prospects. In November, The Observer reported that the Panthers have had eyes for Levis since last offseason.
Evaluators think there is a route for Levis to become the best quarterback in this class.
“He’d needs a situation like Carolina where they have a ready-made offense for him,” Parson said. “He already knows NFL verbiage. He played under center at Kentucky under Rich Scangarello and Liam Coen, disciples of Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan. From a mental standpoint, he is ahead of the curve in terms of NFL play-calling and coming in the huddle. The main thing for him is turnovers and mechanics.”
Levis battled injury this season and evaluators are trying to figure out if his poor throws and sloppy footwork are who he is or were a product of playing through pain. Like Richardson, drafting Levis would take patience.
“Whoever takes him will have to reconstruct his lower half. He has some stiffness factors and that’s why he struggles throwing to the sidelines,” Reid said. “He’s going to have to be with a quarterback developer that can build him from the ground up.”
Before buying the Panthers, Tepper was a minority owner of the Steelers. In Pittsburgh, he watched future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger compete for and win Super Bowls.
Levis reminds Tannenbaum of Big Ben.
“I still like (Levis). He looks a little bit like (Ben) Roethlisberger,” Tannenbaum said. “He can make plays with his feet. He has a chance to be really good and have a great career as well.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 7:46 PM with the headline "Experts weigh in on Carolina Panthers’ quarterback options in NFL draft."
