Who Should the Panthers Take With the No. 1 Overall Pick?

With the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft the Carolina Panthers select...

The Carolina Panthers are officially on the clock. Who will they select with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after acquiring it in a trade from the Chicago Bears? Here's what our staff thinks the Panthers will do.

Schuyler Callihan: C.J. Stroud - Ohio State QB

Scott Fitterer has said time and time again that you need to have conviction on a guy to move up and go get him. I'm sorry, but I highly doubt he's willing to give up what he did to take a quarterback that's extremely small in stature. Bryce Young is super talented, but I would be nervous about his durability at the NFL level. Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud has the ideal size and can make every throw needed to be successful in the NFL. Turn on the Georgia tape. You'll be blown away. He has to be the guy.

Tyler Ball: C.J. Stroud - Ohio State QB

Stroud has the QB characteristics that Reich has been looking for and wants to build the franchise around going forward. Reich wants to have a QB that can do it all but the ability to be accurate in the short and intermediate throws, not just throwing the deep pass. Stroud checks all the boxes.

Matt Welch: C.J. Stroud - Ohio State QB

CJ Stroud fits almost perfectly into Coach Frank Reich’s offensive plans. He’s got decent size and an accurate arm. He’s not going to wow anyone with his legs but he has enough mobility to make some plays outside of the pocket. While Bryce Young is a little more dynamic of a QB, Stroud seems billed as a franchise QB. We just have to overlook the Ohio State QB curse.

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