The Carolina Panthers have just over two weeks to decide on their quarterback of the future.
While the betting markets and NFL Draft experts alike have connected C.J. Stroud to Carolina for some time now, it’s not that cut and dry. And, the crystal ball is seemingly trending away from the Ohio State quarterback. Instead, the Panthers are trending towards making a surprise selection, according to NBC Sports’ Peter King, who wrote in his Football Morning in America column on Monday that, “Bryce Young may be inching closer to Carolina.”
Citing ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, who stressed that the final call has not been made, King writes in his column that Mortensen did say he thinks the Panthers will “stick” with the former Alabama quarterback when it’s time for the Panthers to turn in their card on draft night. King agreed that’s not a done deal, but the momentum trending in Young’s favor to be the No. 1 pick is real.
“Young has a lot of fans in high places in the organization,” King wrote. “I agree with Mortensen that it’s not a done deal, but the momentum toward Young is real. What’s interesting if the 5-10 Young goes before the 6-3 (and accomplished) C.J. Stroud is how it signifies how much the game has changed over the past few years. Young likes people comparing him to a point guard, a distributor of the ball to the open man, because it illustrates a lot about modern quarterbacking. In today’s game, a short quarterback can work better than a generation ago because it’s more of a horizontal, short-passing game overall.”
Ultimately, the NFL is hoping that the Panthers can keep the suspense going until they’re on the clock come Thursday, April 27. This happens every year, but there seems to be an honest discussion going on between Young and Stroud with the No. 1 overall selection. Though, it seems to be trending in Young’s favor with 17 days to spare.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.