Panthers to watch Ohio State’s Stroud, Florida’s Richardson at NFL Combine ahead of draft
The Carolina Panthers are on the prowl for their next franchise quarterback. And while the likes of Derek Carr, Lamar Jackson and Daniel Jones have made headlines since the conclusion of Super Bowl LVII, all eyes will be on the rookie prospects at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this week.
New head coach Frank Reich is now steering the ship, and the Panthers could look to land their future franchise leader in April’s draft. Carolina has created a QB-friendly ecosystem within its coaching staff, hiring teachers with notable experience in grooming young signal-callers. With Reich, senior assistant Jim Caldwell, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and pass game coordinator Parks Frazier serving as instructors, a rookie quarterback will have a tough time finding a better initial NFL setup than the one in Charlotte.
After stacking the staff with QB-focused coaches, owner David Tepper and general manager Scott Fitterer could be swayed into seeking a youth movement at the position. While a veteran bridge quarterback should still be on the docket in free agency, the Panthers’ brain trust needs be locked into the workouts and interviews at the combine.
According to NFL Network, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis and Florida’s Anthony Richardson will all perform on-field drills at Lucas Oil Stadium. However, Alabama’s Bryce Young — the presumed top quarterback in the class — wait until his pro day next month to throw. All four of the consensus top quarterbacks will meet with teams this week, while also undergoing medical testings.
Fitterer, Reich and company would be wise to track every more each quarterback makes.
“Unlike last year, we’ve got some name-brand quarterbacks that people are familiar with, that people have seen, that people have very strong opinions on,” said Daniel Jeremiah, former NFL scout and the NFL Network’s lead draft analyst. “I think the league is very split on those guys. .... I think this is a year where, again, you’re going to see some players that are 12 or 13 on one team’s board, and they might be 53 on another team’s board, which is — there’s a lot of variance of opinion.”
Young and Stroud are widely considered to be the top quarterbacks in the class. The pair shined throughout this past season, and some analysts have already earmarked them as top-3 picks.
“I like Bryce Young better on the tape, but I think CJ Stroud is a really good player,” Jeremiah said during a conference call with reporters on Friday.
Richardson and Levis have been polarizing prospects in the draft conversation. Both players are athletic and have shown flashes of brilliance as passers, but their college film is disjointed due to a lack of efficiency.
“Anthony Richardson is the second quarterback for several teams that I talked to,” Jeremiah said. “We can look at the numbers. It doesn’t look great on paper. You look at the accuracy and this, that, and the other; and he has elite, elite arm strength. He is a rare athlete.”
Levis, who skipped the Senior Bowl earlier this month due to a toe injury, will get show off his skills during the week of workouts.
While Levis threw 23 interceptions and took 58 sacks during his two years as a starter at Kentucky, he was also able to produce 43 passing touchdowns during that time frame. The Panthers will need to use his combine workout and interview as a way to separate the good tape from the bad.
“I think (Buffalo Bills quarterback) Josh Allen is kind of what you are hoping (Levis) is going to be there,” Jeremiah said. “You start with the sacks and the turnovers. I mean, that’s the cause for concern. That’s the flag. So you’ve got to navigate that, and you’ve got to dig into that if you are a team and talk to him and sit down and watch the tape and go through it and see if you can learn some things.”
Once the Panthers identify their top quarterback prospect (or two), they’ll need to determine how to go about working the draft board with trades.
The Chicago Bears own the No. 1 overall pick, and they are likely to deal it to the highest bidder. The Houston Texans are sitting at No. 2 and will definitely take a quarterback — to the point they could be aggressive and make a deal with Chicago to land the passer they want over everyone else. From there, the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 are seen as a logical trade partner, especially if the Panthers like two or three of the quarterback prospects in the class.
With the QB-needy Indianapolis Colts at No. 4, the Panthers will probably need to be aggressive to land their top quarterback prospect. The week in Indianapolis could provide a major piece of the puzzle in determining when to pounce for a better pick of the litter.
Panthers draft picks
The Panthers enter this year’s combine with seven draft picks for April’s selection process. Carolina picked up second-, third- and fourth-round picks from the San Francisco 49ers in the October trade of running back Christian McCaffrey.
- First round (1): 9th overall — Carolina’s original selection
- Second round (2): 39th overall — Carolina’s original selection, 61st — from San Francisco
- Third Round (1): 93rd overall — from San Francisco
- Fourth Round (2): Final Day 3 order has not been determined due to compensatory picks — Carolina’s original selection and another selection from San Francisco
- Fifth Round (1): Original Carolina Selection
Caorlinas prospects
There will be several area prospects participating in this week’s workouts. The group includes Old Dominion’s Nick Saldiveri (Parkwood HS), Clemson’s Trenton Simpson (Mallard Creek HS) and KJ Henry (West Forsyth HS), Wake Forest’s Blake Whiteheart (Mount Tabor HS), Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker (Dudley HS), South Carolina’s Jalen Brooks (Hickory Ridge HS) and Jovaughn Gwyn (Harding HS), NC State’s Christopher Dunn (North Davidson HS), Charlotte’s Grant DuBose and many more.
To check out all of the prospects invited to the NFL Combine, go to NFL.com/Combine.
How to watch
NFL Network will have live coverage of field drills beginning on Thursday at 3 p.m. Below is the schedule for the positional workout:
Thursday: Defensive linemen and linebackers (coverage starts at 3 p.m.)
Friday: Defensive backs and specialists (coverage starts at 3 p.m.)
Saturday: Quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends (coverage starts at 1 p.m.)
Sunday: Running backs and offensive linemen (coverage starts at 1 p.m.)
