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About a month or so ago, there were a handful of NFL analysts and reporters who believed that the Carolina Panthers — who acquired the #1 overall pick in this month’s NFL Draft from the Chicago Bears — would take Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the pick.
Now, not only is it looking like a virtual lock that the Panthers will ultimately be selecting Bryce Young, but the bookies in Las Vegas seem to believe that Stroud could fall out of the Top 3 picks entirely.
As pointed out by ProFootballTalk, the former OSU signal-caller is now a long shot to be selected #2 overall by the Houston Texans, as “Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson is the favorite to go #2, at +190 and Kentucky quarterback Will Levis is next at +270.”
Combine that fact with the Arizona Cardinals, who have the #3 overall pick, already employ a highly-paid franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray, which means that Stroud might fall out of the Top 3 picks entirely. Following the Cardinals are the quarterback-needy Colts at #4. Then, at five, are the Seattle Seahawks thanks to their Russell Wilson trade with the Denver Broncos.
While both Broncos and Seahawks are in search of a young QB, the Colts reportedly like Kentucky passer Will Levis, while there have been murmurs about the Seahawks being enamored with Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. That said, if Stroud does fall to either the Colts or Seahawks then perhaps that will force them to reevaluate.
Rounding out the top 10 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft — which will be held outside Kansas City’s Union Station from Thursday, April 27 to Saturday, April 29 — are the Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, and Chicago Bears. All of those franchises except for the Bears are in search of a young franchise QB, which means Stroud doesn’t have to worry about falling out of the top 10 picks.
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