2023-03-17 07:00:00
There are trades in the NFL Draft that nobody expects. The Chicago Bears selling their first overall, on the other hand, came as no great surprise. Rather, the unexpected lay in which franchise made the deal with last season’s weakest team. Last Friday, the Carolina Panthers made the trade with the Bears and are now officially in first place. They probably have a plan of what to do with it.
This answers one of the most exciting questions long before the draft, following wide receiver DJ Moore, two first-rounders (2023, 2024) and two second-rounders (2023, 2025) landed in Chicago. Next up is who the Panthers will take with the first overall draft pick.
With the first pick…
With the first pick in the NFL draft, the Carolina Panthers now have the first pick for any player they choose to pick in Kansas City at the end of April. One thing is for sure. Such massive upgrades have always been made for quarterbacks in the past. The Panthers will be Will Anderson or Jalen Carter, anyway has other worriesnot for the First Overall in mind.
Many would now like to argue that a quarterback with an uptrade should only be brought in if it has a certain upside, i.e. room for development for the NFL. First of all, most people think of Anthony Richardson, who truly has an enormously strong athletic profile.
Anthony Richardson RAS so far, with official split, doesn’t change his score, which you’d expect. https://t.co/g6dAq3ALm4 #RAS pic.twitter.com/MaoHEx3i7W
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 4, 2023
Two years ago, in the debate regarding Mac Jones and Trey Lance in third place in the draft for the San Francisco 49ers, I argued the same way and in the end I was right with my prediction. Jones actually offered me too little upside, which is now also confirmed in the NFL. He’s a solid quarterback.
However, when I rant regarding upside and room for development, I don’t just mean the athletic profile that legitimizes an uptrade. Players can also make enormous leaps in their development in the areas of game recognition, game processing or their passing mechanics if they improve in them.
All four quarterbacks bring such an upside in different areas that are currently being traded for the first overall draft pick. Bryce Young can still improve on reading defenses before the snap. CJ Stroud should upgrade his processor to be more responsive to post-snap changes so he can make better decisions. Will Levis is allowed to work on footwork inside the pocket to stay ready to shoot and play more consistently.
plan is crucial
Richardson needs to be stronger in all areas and is currently considered an athletic raw passer who has yet to develop into a quarterback. For him, like for all other rookie quarterbacks, you should have a clear plan for the next few years in order to get the most out of the respective talent.
And when I look at all of the Panthers’ moves outside of the trade this offseason, all of the actions point to a very specific quarterback. Because the Panthers have long since decided.
Frank Reich was hired as the new head coach early on. Thomas Brown is the offensive coordinator for the entire attack, Parks Frazier focuses on the pass attack and Josh McCown coaches the quarterbacks. Jim Caldwell also serves as senior assistant to the newly formed staff.
New coaching staff
While Reich watches over everything as head coach, Thomas Brown will focus his work primarily on the entire offense and the running game. Frazier, McCown and Caldwell are responsible for the pass attack and thus for the new quarterback.
Caldwell was primarily responsible for the development of Peyton Manning in the early 2000s. The Hall-of-Famer threw more interceptions than touchdowns in his first NFL season. His shortcoming back then was that he only looked good when the defense gave him what he envisioned before the snap. Creativity or even athletic runs were never in Manning’s repertoire.
For McCown, who is taking his first job as an NFL assistant coach, his game as a former NFL quarterback was all regarding safe pocket passing with good rhythm and timing. Also his shortcoming was the decision making following the snap.
Frazier has worked with Matthew Stafford in the past, as did Caldwell before him. Scouting reports on the 2009 pre-draft veteran read: “Mechanical in his playmaking, There are 3-4 ‘oh no moments’ in every game.”
“I think he’s better than Matt Ryan. Very sharp mind. Physically, he brings a lot of speed to his throws. Fast release, good anticipation.” Stafford threw more interceptions than touchdowns in his first NFL season.
Choose the Carolina Panthers
You’re starting to see what I’m getting at. The Carolina Panthers have assembled a coaching staff that has worked with classic pocket passers throughout their careers, all of whom have had to improve in decision making and game processing over the early years.
So it should be clear which of the four quarterbacks they have in mind in Carolina. Ohio State’s CJ Stroud offers exactly the profile favored by Reich, Caldwell, Frazier and McCown.
Incidentally, McCown was still working for the media before his commitment. Together with Josh Norris, he discussed the quarterback class two months ago. Who him in the Youtube-Folge listens and hears him make comparisons between Stroud and Joe Burrow will conclude that McCown would pick him.
Lots of rumors floating around!
No better time than now to watch Panthers QB coach Josh McCown scout…
⚪️ CJ Stroud – https://t.co/z0BQt08TvU
???? Bryce Young – https://t.co/W1KBOhqBDM
???? Will Levis – https://t.co/lRqAwk8fBI pic.twitter.com/G75oaOvewD
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) March 10, 2023
Now, of course, McCown, as QB coach, can’t decide who the Panthers will draft. But the CV of everyone else on the staff clearly indicates that they too prefer a classic pocket passer with upside as the playmaker.
Stroud is nowhere near as boring as I said of him myself a few months ago. The last game once morest Georgia in particular clearly showed that the reliable playmaker can take matters into his own hands in a tough encounter. CJ Stroud is draft pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2023 NFL Draft. Since the Panthers have committed.
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