run-run-pass-punt

Richardson is just too much of a wild card. I mean, I'd get it if there weren't two excellent prospects that seem NFL ready right now, and maybe he ends up destroying the league (I doubt it though), but I couldn't pass up BY or CJ for his potential. Although it would be very Panthers if he falls to 9 and he would have been our pick at that spot, and then he does blow up for whoever takes him, and whoever we draft disappoints, lol.

No matter how many bread crumbs we follow, we're not going to know...until we know.

When you combine a mind that has rare speed, instincts and a thirst for knowledge, with a great athlete, you get a truly special player, and one that elevates an entire team.

I'd wear it if I was a player. The connotation of no limitations, undefinable, or pure potential are all brought to mind via the "number". Give me that infinite circle all day long. I'd wear it with pride.

When evaluating potential draft picks (or anything in life), there is such a thing as too much information. Analysis paralysis, you know. For me, the wonderlic falls into that category.

Honestly that's what I prefer. A QB with too great raw athleticism can be prone to rely on those abilities too quickly when plays go south whereas a guy with adequate athletic traits but excellent QB skills is more likely to scramble/run when it's the best play or absolutely necessary.

Being small has its advantages as there's less mass to impact your own mass in the context of flying and quickly shifting body parts, as well as less mass to connect with in general coming from others. So, it's not all bad. And any player, QB or otherwise, can get wrecked in the right circumstances. Mass + speed = injury when those forces collide in the wrong way. But the NFL is *fanatical* about protecting QBs, and understandably so, given their value to the sport, both in terms of competitiveness and entertainment value. Having said all that, I still prefer CJ due to overall arm talent and I hope we take him. But I certainly will not be mad if BY is the pick. I think he's electric and will be a bit of a circus performer - in a good way - out there on the field. I'm just so happy for a new era beginning for the Panthers and that this new era will begin with what appears to be a very promising player at the most important position on the field.

I think I mentioned it once before, but the tandem of Fitt and Reich just screams synergy to me. They both seem to genuinely want to land on best-consensus without the interference of heavy ego and drawing lines in the sand about : That harmonious collaboration should result in good things.

I just want a guy who is electric, a guy who's got that "squirm" in him, if you know what I mean. The size isn't necessarily the determining factor in what I look for, within reason.

Great vid, and yeah, all things considered, it's really hard to argue against Stroud. But both he and Young have some excellent attributes, and maybe, just maybe, both end up elite QBs, making our decision less heavy. I do prefer CJ to be clear, but I think we're going to be happy either way - at least I hope so.

Coaching the NFL and college are just two entirely different skill sets...as evidenced by Rhule and so many others. Some coaches have enough adaptability to transition between the two with varying degrees of success, but others, like Rhule, are simply lost in the sea change from one to the other. He's in a better spot for *him* and the Panthers are in a better spot without him. It's all good.

They could have been good had the panther logo been in white or outlined in white. There was just too much dark that swallowed up the logo and really wasn't appealing to me. I'd love to see white helmets. I think that could look sharp.

I want to fortify the trenches on the defensive line. Football is won in the down and dirty, and we need to strengthen this area above all others imho. I know it's sexy to get a skill player, but value can be had later, and this draft isn't strong in that regard (WR) anyway. I want us to get NASTY!

Between him and Willis, they'll be set for...next year's draft.

There's also something to be said for *not* having a true #1 WR imho. You've still got to have some talented guys, but I think an offense is more dangerous when the distribution is very diverse. Things are less predictable and it makes it more challenging for defenses to key in on favored targets when the ball could go anywhere on any play without that traditional focal point. Of course you've got to have a QB with a quick processor and an accurate arm. Hmm...

In some ways this will nearly be like watching an expansion team (with better pieces) in terms of changes on the offensive side of the ball along with all the influx of coaching. Exciting times to be a Panthers fan. It will be really interesting to see how everything gels over time.

And then RG III said that we're the ideal landing spot for the incoming QB...

I would have said Young before we ever traded for the number 1 pick, and I still think he can be great, but over time I've come to think Stroud is the pick to make. I just think he tics so many boxes of what you want in a prototypical QB, and I think he could end up being special. But so many guys have looked the part prior to stepping on an NFL field, so what the heck do I (or anyone else) know? Let's hope it turns out. I won't be disappointed if we take Young either, to be fair. Either way, it's exciting times for Panthers fans, and that's got a value all its own. So, I'm just happy that there's this buzz of hope and excitement around the team due to the #1 pick and all the coaching changes, etc. It might sink like the Titanic (I don't think so), but what a glorious ship to view while it's still in port.

Maybe we're sweating over nothing and this will be a rare year where the top 2 QBs taken are both long-term franchise players. Wouldn't that be something. We literally couldn't lose. All this angst over nothing.

If I'm the Texans, I'm just chuckling at all these "leaks", this misinformation. Whether most of it is intentional or not, I'm sure some of it is deliberate. And if they're afraid of losing out on their guy - if they have one - they've got a reasonable chance that we don't take him anyway, whoever it is. Sitting in the pole position of the draft for so long is going to be rampant with speculation and endless misdirection, especially with so many QB needy teams near the top.

Earlier on - before the possibility of drafting either, I was more pro-Young, but with time and just the realization of his size limitations/liabilities along with seeing how Stroud performed against a stupid-good Georgia D, I'm sold on him. I think they can both be very good NFL QBs, but if I'm investing all that we have to get to #1 and must decide on the long-term future of my team at the most important position on the field, I'll take Stroud. I've always had a bit of a bias (justifiably so?) against OSU QBs, but I think he's got the stuff. It's going to be fascinating to see how all these dynamics unfold leading up to and into the draft. So many factors affecting so many (desperate) teams. It's surely nice to be in the catbird seat though. Let all those hungry beggars kneel at our (temporary ) throne.

Only so much money to spend, and the position does *not* warrant heavy investment. If he comes cheap, do it. If not, cut bait and let a new (cheaper) guy do largely the same thing.

That is one thing that let me know Brady was going to be a different sort of player at QB. Some guys are just *comfortable* standing there in the chaos and diagnosing things. If we draft CJ, I hope he is able to show similar promise early on.

The price to move up to #1, and especially in a hotly contested QB scramble by a group of needy teams, is always going to command a premium. I didn't want to make the trade up and losing DJ surely stings, but I'll hope that the forthcoming pick justifies the cost. If we have the QB position comfortably settled for a decade or more, then it will have been easily worth it. Fingers crossed.