3 pros and cons to the Carolina Panthers drafting Anthony Richardson
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers are betting on potential
For all the positives surrounding Anthony Richardson, there are some concerns. The quarterback has just one full season of starting experience under his belt at the college level, so the Carolina Panthers would be betting on potential rather than any high-end production that Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud accumulated before entering the league.
Richardson is a dual-threat weapon with enough arm strength to make any NFL-caliber throw effortlessly. Expecting miracles right away would be foolish, especially considering how many true game-day reps he's lacked compared to most quarterbacks taken so high in the draft.
There are times when Richardson's throwing accuracy and touch let him down. The signal-caller also struggles to process information effectively, although this could leap forward with additional reps.
Even though his performance levels came on gradually in 2022, this is still a big gamble. However, it's unlikely that the Panthers struck this bombshell deal with the Chicago Bears to play it safe.
Many fans predict the pick to be between Stroud and Young. A notion that was shared by David Newton of ESPN, citing sources who believe this decision has already been made by those in power.
However, as the great Steve Smith Sr. stated when discussing Richardson, nobody "wants to be the guy that passed on Tesla or Amazon". If the prospect takes on coaching and develops quickly, he has arguably the highest upside of any player at the position this year.