Panthers leaving their options open for the #1 overall pick

According to a report, Florida QB Anthony Richardson still remains in consideration for the #1 overall pick in 2023, held by the Carolina Panthers.  The report comes from Joseph Person of The Athletic.

Bleacher Report touched on this development as well:

"Don’t assume the Carolina Panthers are locked in on Alabama’s Bryce Young or Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud with the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NFL draft just yet.Joseph Person of The Athletic reported Florida’s Anthony Richardson remains “in the mix” and “under consideration” as the NFC South team decides to do with its selection."

This would be quite something if it is indeed true.  The Panthers were largely seen to be fixated on Bryce Young or CJ Stroud, at least according to many in the NFL media landscape, but this report could mean that Carolina might not even be close to deciding on who to select with the #1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, which was formerly held by the Chicago Bears.

Could the Panthers actually select Anthony Richardson?

I think so.

Firstly, they’ve got themselves quite the offensive coaching staff.  Both Frank Reich and Jim Caldwell have a solid amount of quarterback development on their resumes, which not many coaches can say.

Perhaps they might be arguing that since Richardson clearly has the highest ceiling of the top QBs in the 2023 class, selecting him could give them the biggest reward.

And given their success in developing quarterbacks, selecting Richardson makes a ton of sense.

However, Richardson’s floor, at least compared to Young and Stroud, does appear to be much lower than the latter to signal callers.

His tape isn’t nearly as good as Young’s or Stroud’s, and we all know that the tape does not and never will lie.

I don’t personally think that the Panthers select the 6’4″ freak of nature, but this report is still very significant.