Panthers should have opportunity to get their quarterback in 2023 draft

The Carolina Panthers have passed on opportunities to take a quarterback in each of the past two drafts. Maybe in 2023 the third time will be the charm. The latest round of mock drafts tends to lean in that direction.

It is just a matter of who they end up with and how aggressive they want to be. 

The Panthers have mostly punted on quarterbacks since Cam Newton departed following the 2019 season, only using third-round picks on Will Grier (2019) and Matt Corral (2022). They have passed on players like Justin Fields and Mac Jones with the No. 8 overall pick in 2021 to select cornerback Jaycee Horn, and used a first-round pick in 2022 to select offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu. 

The Panthers enter the 2023 draft still having a major need for a quarterback and armed with another top-10 pick (No. 9 overall). They have what should be a much better group of passers to pick from. 

In his latest mock draft at the Athletic, Dane Brugler has the Panthers trading up from No. 9 overall to No. 5 overall (with Seattle) to select Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

The Sporting News, meanwhile, has Carolina staying at No. 9 and selecting Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. 

Florida's Anthony Richardson also projects to be a potential first-round pick and should be available with the No. 9 pick. 

Levis checks all of the boxes for a prototypical NFL quarterback with his size, arm strength and measurables, but his performance in college was lacking and he took a pretty big step backwards in 2022. Stroud, on the other hand, was far more productive and put together a much better body of work on the field. 

Given the way the past two quarterback classes panned out it is hard to argue with the Panthers' choices. While Fields looks like he has a chance to be a star, nobody should really question their decision to pass on guys like Jones and Kenny Pickett, especially since Horn and Ekownu look like they can be high level starters at premium positions. Pickett was the only quarterback taken in the first two rounds in 2022 in a weak class, while Jones looks like a pretty ordinary place-holder until New England finds their next franchise guy. 

The Panthers actually ended up with really good players that will help.

But at some point they do need to find a franchise quarterback and can not keep cycling through veterans like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield. It is still the biggest need for the franchise. And now with a new head coach coming in they will have an opportunity to start from scratch with the quarterback of their choice. 

They will certainly have options.