The Panthers’ decision to move up to the top spot in next month’s draft has left them with opportunity to land a long-term solution at the quarterback position for the first time since Cam Newton‘s decline and departure. Carolina has a quartet of passers ranked in the top tier of this year’s class to choose from, but they may have their eye on a pair of prospects. 
Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network Network reports that the Panthers are “targeting” either Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud or Florida’s Anthony Richardson with the No. 1 pick (Twitter link). He adds that debate is ongoing within the organization regarding whether or not it would be worthwhile to select the latter with the top selection, something which would no doubt mark a surprise move.
Richardson started just 13 games in his college career, spending only the 2022 campaign as the Gators’ full-time starter under center. That lack of experience contributed in large part to the sense among many that he would have been better suited to stay in school for one more year, and that declaring for 2023 could hurt his draft stock. The other main factor in that situation, of course, was his erratic performances on the field.
The 6-4, 236-pounder was inconsistent in the passing game in particular, completing less than 54% of his passes and compiling a 17:9 touchdown-to-interception ratio. While that has led to calls for him to sit for at least one year upon being drafted into the NFL, his production on the ground is considerable. Richardson totaled 1,116 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground, and showed off his athleticism with an historic performance at the Combine earlier this month.
Opinion is split considerably on Richardson, but Stroud profiles as a much safer prospect to project at the NFL level. An accomplished pocket passer, his time with the Buckeyes included two years as a starter and a high degree of personal and team success. Stroud went 21-4 at Ohio State, totaling 85 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions, though his rushing stats pale in comparison to Richardson’s in particular.
A two-time Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year, Stroud finished fourth and third in Heisman voting in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Stroud nearly decided to remain at Ohio State for his senior season, but he will enter the draft as one of the most known commodities at the QB position. Alabama’s Bryce Young is generally seen as the top signal-caller in this year’s class, but Stroud would not be an entirely unexpected selection for the start of the team’s new era with head coach Frank Reich.
Much is yet to be determined with respect to any player evaluations, but how the Panthers choose to proceed will have a significant effect on several other teams near the top of the board, including those eyeing a rookie QB. While Young or Kentucky’s Will Levis could emerge on Carolina’s radar, their attention seems to be steering them towards either Stroud or Richardson.
Taking Richardson in the 1st round much less with the first pick is insane. He was terrible.
Plus if they wanted him there was no reason to trade up to the 1st position. They could have traded with Zona and gotten him and given up much less.
Exactly
We keep getting the lines about his “unlimited potential” after the combine. Guess I have to wonder if a QB taken in the first round can be just a guy who might one day set the NFL on fire but hasn’t shown it yet in college
I’m guessing the answer is no
When Heisman QB’s wash out regularly, why wouldn’t a bench warmer? J Winston. M Mariota, Mayfield, & K. Murray all come to mind. Lamar earned both he Heisman and the MVP, but that’s been it for his career.
So you go out of your way to take a guy who sucks? No, that’s silly talk.
I think you missed his point, Dark Side
I think he was agreeing that if you’re going to make a QB your number 1, you’d better be damned sure about it
The problem is when it comes to 1st round picks you really want someone who’s easily projectable because the consequences for missing are incredibly high. So are you more comfortable taking the guy who showed he can ball in college or the one who’s got potential but couldn’t show any of it in college. Project players are great in the mid rounds but you have to be incredibly confident to take one round one let alone top 5.
Everyone wants a Joe Burrow, too, someone who takes over quickly and takes some lumps, but then turns the team around quickly. Other than Burrow and Herbert, there aren’t many guys who fit into the projection you’re talking about. I don’t think even Mahomes fit the profile.
The Titans took a kid who looked the part at Liberty U but doesn’t appear to be anywhere near ready. The Niners took Lance. The reality is that most of these kids are going to be projects of one sort of another
Trouble is, fans want a QB to lead them to glory in short order
It makes no sense. People compare him to Cam Newton and Jalen Hurts who both had way more than one season, they put up great numbers in the SEC, and both were on teams that made the National Championship. Richardson will be a bust if someone doesn’t give him at least 2-3 years to develop and even then idk.
Yeah, I mean I do see his physical tools, but the dude has a LOOOOONG WAYS to go before he’s reaching his ceiling.
He just doesn’t have the mental reps to truly recognize and read what’s in front of him just yet. Some QBs are never able to properly survey an entire field, identify coverages, make checks at the LOS, or make it through their reads with regularity…Richardson struggles in almost all of these areas consistently. Now, his athleticism helps him make up for the experience and knowledge he’s lacking at times, but more often than not, it tends to come back to bite him multiple times before the game is over…
He desperately needed to stay in college to help his development for AT LEAST one more season. If he gets forced to start next season early on, it will get ugly and fast, and that’s especially if he’s going to a team lacking a really strong OL and/or one that is lacking in offensive weapons…
I mean, he’d be able to run the ball effectively, and coupled with a running game he might be able to get by with only having to make 10-15 key throws a game, but right now, I’m not even sure he would be able to properly execute that many big throws on any given Sunday..
@rich – saw most of his games this year and was not impressed with his decision making. His accuracy is also an issue. Athletically gifted, but not enough for me (imho) to even draft him in the first round. This is one Carolina will regret for years if they roll the dice.
Officially L trade.
Taking any Ohio St QB is dumb none have ever been good.
The same can be said about almost all schools.
Not schools that have a continued history of winning like Ohio State has. They are a blueblood of football. I don’t ever remember them being average for very long
Joe Burrow was an Ohio State QB for multiple years..
He threw 39 passes for them.
That may be Ohio State’s problem. They don’t recognize talent at quarterback. Letting Burrow get away may have been the dumbest move ever
Never a starter…..
Justin Fields???? Why does everybody forget him
They don’t forget about him, they’re just waiting for the Bears to actually put a team and an OL around him before they can say his name proudly as an OSU alum..
I wouldn’t hang my hat on Justin Fields as being a successful OSU QB. Other than run the ball, he hasn’t really done anything.
Yeah, after setting QB rushing records with a horrendous O-line and no-one to throw to, he “hasn’t really done anything”.
No question he’s a good runner! He may not have the best WR group, but typically good QB’s make their WR’s better. To me, it doesn’t seem like he does that. If his first option isn’t open, he doesn’t look for other options…he just takes off. Combine that with a 5-20 record as a starter, no 300 yard games in his career and 24 TD’s vs. 20 INT’s and you have a not very successful QB. Good runner though!
My only point was that he has extraordinary mobility. But think about it. Not only has his o-line stunk (I think most of the time, he didn’t even have time to look for secondary receivers), but the defense was awful as well, which forced them into playing from behind mode most of the time which, even for good offenses is difficult. But this will be his make or break year. With Moore, Tonyan and a better o-line (?), we’ll see if he can be more than just a runner at the pro level. I haven’t given up on him just yet. Ask me next year!
He led the team to a 3-14 record
If Joe Burrow is Ohio State, I guess Fields is Georgia
What has me fields done???? So far
Panthers took quarterback too literally and thought it’d get them an extra 25 cents.
Makes sense that the Panthers go for the Cam Newton clone and take Anthony Richardson…
I think you just made his point. Ohio State is so terrible at picking quarterbacks that they chose Fields over Burrow. Haskins too.
They picked Haskins over Burrow and he had a record year with 50 TD’s. Burrow is a better pro, but Haskins was better at OSU. Fields was still at Georgia.
Just quickly on comparisons and projections.
Using QBs taken in recent years.
Stroud had a great college career, 21-4 at Ohio State, 85 TDs and 12 INTs.
In comparison Joe Burrow was originally at Ohio state but moved to LSU. He went 25-3 and threw 78 TDs and 11 INTs.
Both had a lot of really good talent around them, have a similar completion percentage and QBR however Joe was much better carrying the ball, won a Heisman and won the college football championship. Overall Stroud looks like someone who is very accurate, will stay in the pocket and will more often than not make the right play. To me has the floor of a Derek Carr and ceiling of Phillip Rivers minus some of the longevity. But I could see him falling into that top 10-20 QB range beside the likes of Dak, Carr, Goff, Watson etc.
Anthony Richardson went 6-7 in college at Florida, throwing 24 TDs and 15 INTs for 3000 yards while throwing a completion percentage of 54.7%. He also ran for 1100 yards and 9 TDs.
In comparison Malik Willis went 17-6 at college and threw 48 TDs and 18 INTs for 5000 yards while throwing a completion percentage of 62.8%. He also ran for 2100 yards and 29 TDs.
Similar both players are dual threat QBs who rely a lot more on their running. However it’s clear to see Willis numbers are better in every statistical category and although is taller, heavier and faster. His arms and hands both an inch longer. However if all your interested in is combine starts compare those with Desmond Ridder if you’d like.
However as a pro Willis this year threw 3 INTs no TDs with a pass completion of 50.8% as a back up. He added 100 yards rushed with 1 TD and 3 fumbles. Desmond Ridder with that bigger body didn’t do much better either.
Overall Richardson like these guys I’ve compared him to is not a first round pick let alone a first overall pick. He should be a second round guy. He has the floor of a Tim Tebow, out the league goodbye and ceiling of a Cam Newton.
Bryce Young is college went 23-4 with 80 TDs and 12 INTs, however he also ran a littl in his last year picking up 180 yards.
The comparison I’ll use is Tua. Who went 22-2 with 87 TDs and 11 INTs and also added some yards with his legs.
Both are undersized QBs, both went to Alabama, both had great high school, and college career with lots of hype but I think both will get overtaken for the first overall pick by a more accurate pocket passer. In both completion percentage and QBR Tua is better, same with on the ground Tua got more yards.
As of right now the jury is still out on Tua and if he warranted being picked 5th overall and if he’s a starter. Justin Herbert another pocket passer selected 1 spot back in 6th certainly looks the better player right now.
Considering the Panthers have the pick and whoever they select will have an offence consisting of Miles Sanders, Terrance Marshall Jr, Leviska Shenaukt, Shi Smith and Hayden Hurst as your weapons they will have to be good to get anything out of them. They should have a good amount of protection and the division they are in isn’t stacked with talent.
I’d personally go for CJ Stroud easily. Maybe not as exciting as the other two but more likely to be a good player, should be able to make the right plays and get production. Young could sit pack behind protection all he wants but he wouldn’t have the weapons to get production and his lack of size is a big concern. Richardson isn’t accurate enough and would cost you games with his poor decision making I feel. Yes he can carry the ball well but you pay guys like Sanders, Hubbard and other to do that for you, so your franchise QB doesn’t get beaten up.
I agree. I would be hesitant with either, but Stroud has much more experience and is a better passer than Richardson. It actually should not surprise much to see where Richardson’s weaknesses are when you consider that he’s only had 13 starts. Scanning the field, diagnosing coverage at the LoS, and timing receivers all take repetition. The advantage of playing at Florida is that Richardson got to test himself against SEC defenses, but the disadvantage is that he ran a simplistic offense with few reads and heavy emphasis on his legs.
Experience is the number one contributor to a player’s success. The system that players come up in plays a huge role in how valuable that experience was. Ohio State has long used a rather simplistic offense that relies on, basically, having superior athletes than the competition. Stroud seems to be better than his predecessors, however, at throwing from the pocket and doing pro style scanning of the field. I don’t know if he will break the reputation of disappointing Ohio State quarterbacks, but if he does, it will be because of his ability to utilize a more pro friendly style. That’s the advantage that Alabama’s offense had-a former NFL schemer in Bill O’Brien built on what has already been a pro-friendly college scheme that the team has run for the last several years. I’d say that Alabama and Florida play much better defenses regularly than non-SEC schools. That was a difference in Willis’ resume two years ago, for instance.
Ideally, a quarterback gets experience, a pro friendly system, and good competition in college. Athleticism is what elevated him above the rest immediately, but long term, those other aspects are what preserves his effectiveness. You really can’t teach QB basics in real time in the NFL-you almost never just invent skills that weren’t there prior. I would also take Stroud over Richardson for those reasons, but as I’ve said before, I’m not sure that I see an absolute can’t miss generational quarterback yet in this class. I see several good ones-Young, Levis, and Stroud, for instance-but I don’t think that there are any unmissable for all time ones off the top of my head.
A comment and response containing 1026 words has to be a PFR forum record…lol.
I’ve written more words. Useless uneducated nonsensical words, but more of them.
In order to make Richardson successful, you’d have to go Washington 2.0, Carolina 2.0, and copy Baltimore..
Washington had the world’s greatest coaching staff to make RG3 successful..
Cam Newton was alot more successful in college, and he still took his lumps in Carolina…
Baltimore had to change their entire offensive identity, but they also hired one of the best running game coordinators in all of the NFL in Greg Roman…
Richardson is NOT Cam Newton, and the Panthers don’t have Roman, they certainly do not have either of the Shanahan’s, ditto for the LaFleur’s either, no McVay, etc. you see the point I’m making hopefully by now..lol
I agree. I will add, however, that the system that makes them good can also handicap a player. Baltimore’s commitment to the Roman book limited the development of their wideouts and of Jackson as a passer. Of course, Jackson’s limitations as a passer are partly what motivated the playbook’s adoption (his unnatural mobility being of course a much larger part). The question becomes then how to properly transition into a more mixed pass/run scheme. Perhaps Jackson couldn’t handle it, but I think that it would have given him a better chance by allowing him to try it in game, and overall would have improved his skills, even with the inevitable growing pains associated.
The downside is that you’re essentially training your QB as a pro, but passing will improve with experience until arm strength starts to dwindle. Theoretically I believe that there’s a way to maximize a running QB’s potential by emphasizing his legs early and transition into a passing offense after two or three years, but that’s a gamble given the fact that te QB will have to improve immensely skill-wise. Still, I believe that you have to attempt it. I think Baltimore is trying now, with their new coordinator, but the contract issues will impede that process on Jackson’s end.
Jackson didn’t have limitations as a passer at Louisville. He threw a lot of great passes. I would have picked him number 1 overall. These guys get pegged as running QB’s and that’s all people focus on.
I’m not meaning his college limitations, but his pro limitations. I did not watch enough of Jackson’s career at Louisville is be confident in nitpicking his intricacies. He’s always had a good arm strength wise, and that’s not in question. The accuracy is on certain throws, particularly deep throws and tight windows. I actually don’t think we have a clear picture of the totality of Jackson’s abilities as a passer, to be honest, due to the simplicity of the Ravens’ passing offense recently. That statement was meant more to reflect the possibility that the TEAM may consider the playbook as proofing against limitations, because of what they see in practice, and the areas that we have actually observed Jackson struggle in. I don’t think that he’s bad. But there are areas for improvement.
We’ve observed that Jackson is much more proficient hitting passes across the middle than he is along the margins, for instance, and can lose track of tertiary or quaternary receivers. He is not nearly as comfortable throwing from within the pocket as he is outside, unless it’s a quick release or check down. As I said, or tried to say, the Ravens were wise to build on Jackson’s strengths running the ball at first, but would be unwise to not evolve into an offense with more passing opportunities to give Jackson better experience in that area. Right now, Jackson uses his mobility, rather than his accuracy, to get receivers open.
I think that the more the Ravens incorporate better receiving routes and/or receivers, the better Jackson will be as a passer. He will always be a rushing threat, but he’ll never be a passing threat until the Ravens help him become o e. It might not happen even then, but they have to take the chance and try or this style of play will make Jackson a no factor entirely.
I think the Ravens have accomplished a great first step towards that goal in bringing in Todd Monken, rather than Greg Roman.
We saw history repeat itself with Colin Kaepernick and Greg Roman, and saw his progression as a passer stall back when he was with Roman. However, even when Roman left, and everyone wanted to open up the offense, CK was still unable to progress as a passing QB. It didn’t matter whether they brought in better wideouts, he had just hit his ceiling.
Now, that’s where I think the similarities stop. I think Jackson is definitely more than capable of continuing to grow his game. Hopefully with Monken, and a new target or two, they’ll be able to help Jackson continue to take that next step in his development as both an excellent passing and running QB.
I agree completely.
Take Richardson Stroud deserves better.
If they traded all the way up to #1 (including by giving up their only skill player on offense) to draft Richardson, then this FO is just outright dumb. I hope this is just the normal offseason cycle of unverified reports that amount to nothing in the end, because if the idea that the decisionmakers are actually debating if AR should be picked at 1 is true, that alone has me justifiably questioning their competency already.
Whoever they pick is going to be missing a pretty important WR
Every week the Panthers announce they’re interested in a different QB. When they say “all options are on the table” they simply mean they have no clue what to do.
Or it’s all blowing smoke to see if they can trade back to 2 and recoup some of the capital they lost dealing with Chicago.
Taking players based on potential only is what gets people fired. If a player sucked in college going against much less talented players, why would they be great in the NFL? Stroud was consistently good and so was Bryce Young, so why take the guy that sucked? That would be moronic.
Trading DJ Moore as part of the package
may be a clue that they are leaning toward a QB less reliant on receivers, esp. small ones that don’t block well.