Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)
The Carolina Panthers took first place in the 2023 NFL Draft, and they have a quarterback pick to choose. Let’s rate their options.
The 2023 NFL season officially starts on March 15th, which means there will be a lot of changes across all 32 teams in the league. This is because free agency officially begins that day, with the negotiation window opening on March 13th. But just days ago, the Carolina Panthers sent shock waves throughout the league.
On Friday, the Panthers successfully captured the #1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft from the Chicago Bears. All it cost them were their No. 9 and 61st picks in this year’s draft, first rounder in 2024, second rounder in 2025, and wide receiver DJ Moore.
This move indicated that the Panthers would take their quarterback early in the first round. That wasn’t much of a surprise, given the need they had for the position.
Now, they have their pick of the top four nominees in this year’s class — Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and Florida’s Anthony Richardson.
Because of the importance of choosing them, we will rank the four options.
The Panthers’ QB’s ranking can be determined by the No. 1 pick
4. Will Leaves, Kentucky
In 2021, Will Levis stars at Kentucky after transferring from Penn State. Going into the 2022 season, Levis had the chance to cement his case as the best quarterback. The thing is, he didn’t.
Yes, he changed offensive coordinator and suffered multiple injuries during the 2022 campaign. But he only had 19 touchdowns with 10 interceptions.
Despite what happened in 2022, Levis has the typical height and strong arm that NFL teams love. But, Levis may need to sit out a year to really make sure he’s ready to go.
Levis will be a top 10 pick in this year’s NFL Draft. But No. 1? Probably not, given the talent of the other three quarterbacks.
3. Anthony Richardson, Florida
Anthony Richardson was the quarterback at Florida for only one season and then declared for the NFL Draft. Watching Richardson play, he showed flashes of being an amazing dual-threat quarterback. He has the arm to make deep passes and the speed that makes him almost impossible to stop on the run.
The thing is, his decision making was an area of concern and he never quite got it together.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Richardson showed off his athleticism with a record-breaking vertical and wide jumps, and a 4.44-second 40-yard dash time.
Richardson would need a year or so of development before he was ready to start NFL games. But, as fans and teams saw during the NFL Scouting Combine performance, he could become one of the best quarterbacks in the game if he could pull it all together.
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