3 pros and cons to the Carolina Panthers drafting Anthony Richardson

Carolina Panthers have the staff to nurture Anthony Richardson

While there would be a few raised eyebrows if the Carolina Panthers made Anthony Richardson the No. 1 overall selection in 2023, there should be a level of trust that the football minds within the building can get this right. Gone are the days of Matt Rhule holding absolute power with inept pro personnel evaluation - something that led team owner David Tepper to implement a completely different approach this time around. 

If Frank Reich, Scott Fitterer, and other respected figures such as Thomas Brown, Jim Caldwell, Dan Morgan, and Josh McCown want Richardson, so be it. But they better be right. 

Thankfully for the Panthers, they've set everything up this offseason for a rookie quarterback to thrive. Carolina's spared no expense to mold an elite-level coaching staff and the free-agent signings at their offensive skill positions should also be of significant use to the player's early development. 

Whether it's Richardson or someone else, there would be no excuses for whichever signal-caller lands in Carolina. And if the former Gator needs a little extra time to develop his craft, the Panthers have Andy Dalton as a short-term veteran bridge to fill in before the dual-threat weapon is unleashed. 

There is an infatuation regarding Richardson that's hard to ignore. The ceiling could not be higher, but the Panthers must determine what the floor might be in the event things don't go quite according to plan. 

Betting the franchise's future on this is extremely risky. But it also comes with an immense reward if Richardson reaches or exceeds his targets.