NFL Draft 2023 Odds: Stroud Tops Young as Favorite to Go No. 1 After Panthers Trade

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The Chicago Bears reportedly traded the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft to the Carolina Panthers on Friday in exchange for four draft picks and wide receiver DJ Moore.

Carolina is one of the most quarterback-needy teams in the NFL after enduring two disappointing seasons of Sam Darnold, whom they acquired in a trade with the New York Jets prior to the 2021 campaign.

The Panthers are expected to select a quarterback in this year’s draft, and the top available ones are Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis.

Prior to Friday’s trade, Young had the best odds to be taken first overall. Stroud is now the owner of that title with -300 odds to be picked with the No. 1 pick, per DraftKings Sportsbook:

The Panthers appear to be high on Stoud, with The Athletic’s Joseph Person reporting that “league insiders” believe the franchise will select the Ohio State signal-caller with the No. 1 pick.

Person wrote:

“The party line from the team will be that [head coach Frank] Reich and general manager Scott Fitterer will use the next seven weeks to evaluate which of the big four quarterbacks they want: C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Will Levis or Anthony Richardson. But league insiders believe it will be Stroud, who’s bigger than Young, more accurate than Richardson and more of a playmaker than Levis. Stroud put on a show of precision passing at the combine last week, and proved against Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinals that he’s not afraid to leave the pocket when necessary. The Panthers passed on another Ohio State quarterback two years ago, taking Jaycee Horn at No. 8 when Fields was available.”

If the Panthers do pick Stroud, they’ll be getting an impressive young quarterback who could go on to become the best of the 2023 class.

The 21-year-old had a great 2022 season with the Buckeyes, completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,688 yards and 41 touchdowns against six interceptions in 13 games, in addition to rushing for 108 yards.

The Bleacher Report Scouting Department has Stroud ranked as the best quarterback in the 2023 class, and B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen wrote that he “can be an effective rookie-contract quarterback while trying to add more of an edge to his game.”

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