top dawg

By the way, there's another thread about this already, Juan.

Well, it's up to the FO.

I get you, but they both did their parts. I scoffed at someone a few weeks ago who said that Saquon "carried" the offense. It just so happens that Jones plays the much more valuable position.

Yesterday, it was Richardson. Today, it's Stroud. The other day, it was Young. If we move to one, my money is still on Young, and it really has little to do with the Combine.

Well, it would shock me. It takes way more than physical traits to be an NFL QB, and actually developing a QB takes time. Things like pocket presence and accuracy may not be able to be developed depending upon the guy, and you probably won't find that out until a few years down the road.

We already know that, but for his size, Bryce Young would be considered a phenom in the same vein as Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Football Fabio (you heard that nickname here first). We also have the uber athletic Anthony Richardson undoubtedly making NFL types across the league imagine and daydream about the possibilities of this fine piece of football eye candy that they've been presented with during the 2023 Combine. But that didn't mean that CJ Stroud didn't play his part to make the choice of who will be the first QB taken in this year's draft that much more difficult and/or nebulous. At least among fans there is no consensus. And if the sentiment of Daniel Jeremiah is shared among other analysts, GMs, coaches and owners, surely this will be an interesting top of the first round. That compliment perhaps should not be overlooked or taken lightly. There is no question about Stroud's size, and he's not viewed as a multi year boom-or-bust type of project, he just throws the ball where it's supposed to be. Now this is not to say that there are no questions about his game, but there will always be a premium on accurately delivering the football from the pocket.

No need to trade up if you're not going to get your guy. Moving to one is the only way to guarantee you get who you want, and if it's who you want then one more first is worth it.

I mean, what you're saying is true, but most fighters are going to get knocked out at some point.

The question is whether we actually will fall in love. NFL reporter Cameron Wolfe says that if we do fall in love with a guy, he's heard that we will be aggressive. “So they’re doing a lot of homework on these quarterback prospects here. And the one thing to watch as we look at teams here who are trying to trade up, Carolina should be high on that list. I’ve been told they are gonna be aggressive if they fall in love with their guy.” He says to keep an eye on Anthony Richardson due to his interview. I predict that if we do, it's going to be Bryce Young. https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/ 2023/03/04/panthers-trade-aggressive-qb-anthony-richardson-draft/

If Richardson will be the first guy taken, I'll change my name to "bottom dawg. For a year.

In. On. Every. Deal. If there's a deal to be made, Fitterer will inquire. Anyone doubt that? I'm not saying we can even really afford Rodgers, but that's not going to stop us from looking into it, staff or not.

But you have to also look at the context. I know that it may not be completely right, but I have to take the Rhule effect into (heavily-weighted) account. I did give you pie for Andrew Yang though. I still want to draft a more complete TE though, very much so.

All a part of the attraction. The seeming dichotomy between Young and Richardson will make for must-see TV

Now here's a guy I haven't seen on here in a minute. Aren't you a mod? We need some more evenhandedness around here.

I got a hunch that if we do move up, it will be for the little guy. It's only a hunch though.

And, honestly, that's why Young may be better than both. Hell, Hooker could turn out better. I absolutely loved Hooker's answer about playing in Tennessee's system. He's basically like, "What do you expect me to do if my first read is always open..."

I get it. But...I could also argue that AR may never have the pocket presence that Stroud has, and that's assuming that you can even teach pocket presence (which may be impossible). Moreover, can you really teach accuracy? You can teach a guy to have more consistent mechanics which may improve accuracy, sure, but will he revert to his old ways when the bullets start flying? So, as you know, it takes much more than a cannon for an arm or uber mobility to be a consistently successful QB in the league, especially for an extended amount of time.

Look I get it, but one just had a better overall college career. Sure, he had better weapons and badically a year's worth more opportunity, but just trying to judge the traits, there's an argument that Stroud may be the better pro.

@Jon Snow is like myself (maybe to a lesser degree), he's like a truth terrorist. Don't get being older, experienced and grounded confused with crankiness and cynicism.

Aaaah, struck by Cupid's arrow. I'm just trying to be objective on all of them. I refuse to fall in love, but if I did it would probably be with Stroud. It'd be easy to love with Young also. Admittedly, I have a thing for accuracy, and I'm scared to death of inaccuracy.

I mean, if we pick him at 9 and he busts, I won't like it, and I don't think that Tepper will either. But, if we actually use a bunch of resources to trade up and get him and he busts, I think Tepper will be seething inside, and so will I. I don't believe in spending big on boom-or-bust talent. You wait until the value is there, then you make a move if you want them. So, yeah, I care. There are opportunity costs associated with these players.

I can't say with surety that AR's ceiling is higher than Stroud's. I mean, I could say it if I believed all the media hype, but I just don't believe the hype. Stroud may need to answer the question at the pro level about his mobility (which he says he will), but I believe that AR is definitely going to have to answer the question about his pocket presence and throwing ability.

Richardson was kinda put on the spot when asked if he's a better thrower than Cam. Rick Spielman may have been blowing smoke, but he agreed with AR. Of course the stats tell a different story, which Anthony Rizzuti pointed out in his latest article. "Newton—in his Heisman Trophy-winning, national championship-capturing campaign of 2010—completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 2,854 yards, 30 touchdowns, seven interceptions, 10.2 yards per attempt and 11.2 air yards per attempt. Richardson, this past season, connected on 53.8 percent of his throws for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 7.8 yards per attempt and 7.6 air yards per attempt" 8https://pantherswire.usatoday.com/2023/03/04/2023-nfl-draft-panthers-anthony-richardson-thrower-cam-newton/

I really don't understand what you're saying. What does our staff have to do with AR's hype? They're not miracle workers, they are coaches. Whether Richardson improves would mostly be on him, and he has a very long way to go by all accounts. He's far from Willis raw though. He has to commit to developing his pocket presence, and basically learn the complexity and nuances of the position. His tape is all over the place. He certainly didn't look anywhere close to Stroud vs UGA. I'm not trying to talk bad about the kid, but he needs a lot of work, and people need to be realistic.

I certainly haven't forgotten about him, though dark horse he may be (due to being mismanaged by dumb dumbs and ultimately injured). You'd think that he has no talent at all listening to some Huddle blowhards, but those who played him as well as those who know him know better. I hope he can get his career on track, much less back on the track. We'll see.