The debate among Panthers fans, the front office, Twitter, etc… has been, Does Scott Fritterer and his team draft Bryce or C.J Stroud? The fans got an answer from the franchise on which one of these two gentlemen will be a Carolina Panther at the start of the season during the Ohio State and Alabama Pro Days.
C.J Stroud
According to draft analysts, Stroud seems to be the most “pro-ready” quarterback in the 2023 NFL draft. If Carolina does end up drafting Stroud don’t be surprised if they also draft his favorite target at Ohio State Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the second or possibly third round.
The Ohio State pro day was on March 22. The Panthers brought practically the whole organization to Columbus, Ohio to watch Stroud perform at his pro day. Notable faces were general manager Scott Fritterer, head coach Frank Reich, and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown.
Josh McCown seemed to be very happy watching Stroud throw. After the workout, McCown talked to Stroud, it looks like McCown said “Maybe when you live in Charlotte we’ll find a court (game of horses)” that clip went viral. Now could it be just a quote taken out of context? Possibly. Regardless, seemed interesting that Josh used the word Live instead of the word visit or travel.
Frank Reich and Josh McCown seemed very happy with Stroud after the Ohio State pro day was finished. However, the following day they would have the Alabama pro day with Bryce Young.
Bryce Young
Frank Reich said recently that he won’t rule out Young because of his height (Young is under 6”2’). An interesting anecdote, General Manager Scott Fritterer was with the Seattle Seahawks when they selected Russell Wilson (a famous quarterback under 6”2’) in the 2012 NFL Draft. If Carolina selects Bryce, it will be the first time Reich has had a quarterback under 6”2’.
Steve Smith Sr. praised Bryce Young very highly. Now does that mean anything for the Panthers in terms of their choice? No. But it is interset because Smith does know what a good quarterback looks like (He was with Cam Newton during his prime).
Will it be Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud?
We won’t know who Carolina has chosen until April 27th, 2023, when Roger Goodell says “With the First Pick in the 2023 NFL Draft the Carolina Panthers select…”. This a reminder for Carolina Panthers fans, No matter who we choose whether it’s Alabama QB Bryce Young or Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud (or perhaps it’s another QB, Reich hasn’t ruled out Florida QB Anthony Richardson or Kentucky QB Will Levis) we will give whoever it may be our full support as fans of the Carolina Panthers.