Carolina should draft Richardson

by Brandon King

There’s only one week to go before the NFL draft. Teams are becoming desperate, trying to play catchup in a quarterbackheavy league. The Carolina Panthers traded their star wide receiver D.J. Moore along with multiple picks including the ninth overall selection for the first overall selection in this year’s draft. Last season Carolina (7-10) started four different quarterbacks - Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, rookie Matt Corral, and even XFL standout P.J. Walker. The 2023 draft class features a lot of talent. Five QBs are projected to go just in round one. Which of these quarterbacks will thrive in the big stage and which will be forgotten names of a headlined class? Alabama’s Bryce Young headlines the class and is the favorite to be taken with the first, but would this be the best move for the Panthers? The obvious choice, yes. The best choice, no.

Young stands at only 6 feet tall and is known for his ability to run outside the pocket. But, quarterbacks with this frame do not often find long term success in this league. Young won the Heisman in 2021 while having an incredible supporting cast around him. He threw for over 4,300 yards with 47 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions with a completion percentage of 68.0%.

One quarterback that you can almost match his height, ability, and even flashiness to is former Heisman winner and NFL journeyman Baker Mayfield. Mayfield, 6’1” tall, won his Heisman in 2017 after passing for just over 4,300 yards with 41 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. If the Panthers take Young at number 1 with their current roster and supporting cast on offense, they will set not only themselves up for failure but also Young’s career.

On the other hand, the Panthers could pull a shocking move and decide to go with Anthony Richardson out of the University of Florida. The strong-armed quarterback has shown signs of looking like the next Josh Allen. Both have had similar college stats, showing their true worth at the combine, and what other analysts are saying highest ceiling but lowest floor potential. Neither player boasted an amazing statline in college, Richardson last season threw for just over 2,500 yards with 17 touchdowns to 9 interceptions in 12 games. Whereas Allen in his final season threw for just over 1,800 yards with 16 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions in 11 games. The numbers are not pretty but when you look at recent and long term success of quarterbacks with this frame like Ben Roethlisberger, Josh Allen, along with many