On Wednesday, Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said this could be the year he gets particularly aggressive and trades up to grab his quarterback. Well, what’s more aggressive than trading up to the No. 1 overall pick?
During the first day of on-field drills at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Chicago Bears have their ears wide open on potential deals for the draft’s first pick. And among the teams Rapoport expects to be in the fray is Fitterer’s Panthers.
“From my understanding, there is significant, significant interest in that pick,” he said.
“Among teams expected to show interest—the Texans at No. 2 makes sense. Just a quick slide from 1 to 2 for the Chicago Bears. The Atlanta Falcons still in need of a quarterback. Obviously, that would be one to watch. Indianapolis Colts at No. 4 made it clear. General manager Chris Ballard always open for business. Does he take a big swing? And the Panthers still have some questions as well at the quarterback position. No doubt they’re looking hard at some of these top, top guys.”
Carolina, in fact, has already spoken to some of those top, top guys earlier this week.
Head coach Frank Reich stated during his media availability that it’s “safe to say” the team has met with the likes of Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis and Hendon Hooker. Fitterer would later confirm some of that comment, praising his talks with Young, Richardson and Hooker later on in the day.
