3 late Carolina Panthers rumors drawing buzz ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft
By Dean Jones
Bryce Young has been Carolina Panthers pick 'for weeks'
Unless there is a swerve of legendary proportions, the Carolina Panthers will be taking Bryce Young at No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. The quarterback has conducted himself superbly throughout his evaluation and arrives with the potential to completely change the team's fortunes immediately.
It's been a thorough series of assessments on the consensus top-four guys, which was expected after giving up so much to the Chicago Bears for this privilege. General manager Scott Fitterer said they needed conviction, but they also needed to be right.
Some significant momentum started building around Young in favor of C.J. Stroud around a fortnight ago. But according to sources speaking with Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Panthers have been clear for a number of weeks about which direction they'll go.
"The Panthers will finally reveal their new QB tonight, and sources say their thinking never wavered once they moved to No. 1. Scouts had conviction early in the process. Coaches had no doubt after film study. League sources have believed for weeks it’ll be Bama’s Bryce Young."
- Tom Pelissero, NFL Network
Frank Reich and Fitterer still haven't confirmed one way or another which way they'll go. There is a consensus between the two influential figures, which also received the full backing of team owner David Tepper when he was informed.
After tonight, the hard work really starts for Young.