4 huge winners from the Carolina Panthers trade up to No. 1 overall

Scott Fitterer – Carolina Panthers GM

After preaching the importance of drafting and developing a quarterback almost from the moment he joined the Carolina Panthers, general manager Scott Fitterer finally got his wish. Something the front office figure accomplished in emphatic fashion and at the first opportunity following Matt Rhule’s removal.

Fitterer is under pressure to make a real go of things in 2023 after playing second-fiddle as Rhule got the final say on personnel matters over his first two offseasons in Carolina. His in-on-every-deal mentality guaranteed an aggressive approach to the quarterback situation and even though D.J. Moore was sacrificed, the compensation looks pretty reasonable all things considered.

Now, Fitterer has his ideal scenario. Something he recently discussed as a possibility heading into an offseason of immense importance.

"“I think you’ve got to have conviction. If there’s a guy in this class that you like, you got to go up and go get him. We’re in a position now where we have a defense, we have an offensive line. We built around this for this opportunity. So if you have conviction, go get him. If not, you don’t want to force it. You don’t want to take a player and pass on a really good player, that might set you back. But you can’t be afraid to take a shot if you believe that’s the guy.”"

Fitterer swung for the fences. What’s important now is to hit a home run and make the correct choice for Carolina’s next face of the franchise, which has been sorely lacking since Cam Newton’s departure in 2020.