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After today, I don't even know if we'll be in a position to get Ward. I'm loath to trade assets.

Dude, did you miss the near-picks today?

Perfect time to trade him...

Last night my son and I were checking out Ward and Sanders. When Sanders flexed after a QB, my son literally said, "Man he's small." Sure I realize it's an anecdote, but my son has an uncanny ability to be right when it comes to certain things NFL (even though he's not as fanatical as me). On an off note, for the record, he said "I don't know," as it pertained to Ward. And then, while we were looking at Shedeur, he later said, "We should pick Hunter and just leave those two guys alone." He does think Hunter is going play both positions. I told him that that's probably not going to work, and he told me that if Hunter must choose, he's playing WR. He said, "Who is going to pick cornerback over wide receiver when looking at cornerback money and wide receiver money?"

My thing with Sanders is that he doesn't have elite athleticism, and to be honest he is not a big guy. Sure, he can put on a few, what I'll call, pseudo pounds like Bryce did, but he's not a naturally big guy. Within that same vein, he's not as strong either. And it's not like he's showed so much more than Ward. If his name wasn't Sanders, he probably wouldn't even be in contention for a first round pick.

I've finally done my deep dive on Cam Ward since some Huddlers keep harping on the fact that there's no QB worth taking at the top of the draft (blah blah blah). I get it, but...will that ultimately be true? Cam Ward's draft stock is undoubtedly on the rise. It just makes sense due to his gradual improvement over his career, and especially due to his play this season. He has not been afraid to move on for better opportunities from Incarnate Word to Wazzu to the U, and all he has done is sieze those opportunities. Ward's biggest knock coming into this season was ball security and decision making. Those are two pretty big things, but he has shown growth, and he and his shaky O-line will undoubtedly be tested against the Blue Devils' front. I will say that if Ward continues to show well for the remainder of the season, including in the playoffs against top competition, his stock will climb even higher, giving credence and outright llegitimacy to his campaign to not only be QB1, but pick number one (or two, three, four, or five). At this point, more than just a few scouts consider him QB1 anyway, and with good cause as his traits are just superior to Shedeur Sanders' and every other QB's in this class. His potential and opportunity will give him an easier path to top five or 10 legitimacy as well (as opposed to just being a default higher pick due to being a QB). So, Ward has the elite traits. Can he put them all together by the end of the season (much like Stroud peaked at the right time a couple of seasons ago)? From my perspective, the Panthers and every other franchise-QB needy team will be in a predicament certainly if Ward does show well for the remainder of the season, and maybe even if he doesn't. If you skip him and he ultimately keeps improving and meets the high potential that many experts believe that he has (including Mel Kiper who has Ward [and Sanders] outside his top 10), then you'll look like a fool yet again. My thing is, are we really in a position to be skipping a guy with that kind of upside, just because he missed top 10 on some scout's---and especially some talking head's big board by a dozen spots (let's say)? Does playing the draft game justify moving down and missing out on an answer that you've needed for the better part of a decade? Perhaps we will see, but we had better be right if we skip him. Now, again, if Ward continues to ascend, I believe that we should pick him provided that we have the opportunity. There's just no other QB that has that talent, upside and traits in this draft in my mind. Mind you, I didn't say that no other QB would ultimately succeed, because it's all a crapshoot, but Ward has looked damned good so far this season, and he deserves his accolades as one of the best in the country, irrespective of position (and that includes the Travis Hunters, Tetairoa McMillans and Ashton Jeantys of the world).

I mean, if we had drafted him he probably would be struggling here...but not like Bryce. Stroud has been outside the top 10 this season, and looked downright ordinary the other night, but that may be attributed to shaky protection and a loss of weapons.

Arizona alum, eh. Now I get it

FIFY

Logjam, indeed! Makes me nervous.

Nobody is paying Jameis anything near starter-level money. He is what he is. Damned near gave the game away Sunday with a perplexing throw. Like I told my son, "He'd be a helluva QB if he didn't throw so many interceptions, but he does..."

There are more examples of QBs starting year 1, but that's not even the real point. The point is that some QBs start their rookie year, and some don't. Some shouldn't, but that doesn't mean that you pass up on a guy that has that potential. Hell, Patrick Mahomes didn't start right off the bat. Neither did Tom Brady. Jordan Love didn't, but would you pass up on him? The fact is---and everybody should have known it---that Anthony Richardson and Malik Willis had no business starting from day one. Hell, it's arguable whether they should've been drafted on day one or two. You have to look at the prospect---how he passes, how many games that he's actually played in, did he play in a pro-style offense, how does he process information, who was his competition, etc. Of course being old school, I think everyone should probably sit, at minimum until the second half of their rookie year, but the way things are set up and the way many FOs think about team building, they want everything quickly to take advantage of rookie contracts and not necessarily putting a premium on thorough development of a prospect. As for 2026, that's all fine and good, but no one knows anything with surety, and pro scouts mess up all the damned time. If the Panthers trade down because they don't see a true franchise QB, then fine. Fans can't change that anyway, but they had better be right. Getting the next big thing in 2026, and having to pay a king's ransom to move up to get him, is not a cycle I want to repeat, but it may be inevitable. That said, everything that I've seen thus far tells me that Cam Ward's game translates well to the NFL, plus, he has the size, strength, arm talent, and athleticism to be a franchise guy. So, if we trade down from the first pick, like I said, we had better be right. And I don't care if Ward starts in 2025 or 2026, if he is legit at the pro level, we better not be the team that traded away from him.

That may be true, but we sent a 6th. We couldn't even get a 5th outright? It's just the principle. A 5th is bad enough as far as I'm concerned. I thought we'd get a fourth, but whatever.

You don't have to immediately start him, that depends on the QB, and that should be obvious to anyone who doesn't have a closed mind. It wasn't moronic to start Jayden Daniels, C.J. Stroud, or Cam Newton. There are more examples. Everyone is not Anthony Richardson, Malik Willis, or Geno Smith.

OK, for all those saying to trade down and not draft a QB? Who is our QB next year? Just waste away another season, right? Nah. And for those saying take a DE. Who? There isn't even a DE in the top 10 worth taking. Look, I seriously doubt that we'd trade down from the first pick anyway, but if we do we are in for another season of dread with a sub par retread. And DE? Ha! if we trade down, DE isn't in the stars.

Too short, don't want.

Hunter. If we're one, we're not trading back, and the pick will be Cam Ward.

I don't love Canales coaching at the moment. Very sub par. That's irrespective of the players. But I will say, that some of you bought into all they hype. Canales was brought here for one reason, and that's because he was considered the best of what was left. He was a dart throw, and so far he hasn't hit the target. That's all we're relegated to is dart throws.

Just for sh¡ts and giggles, who is this "good vet QB?"

Yeah, Dan & Dave are showing their conformist thinking. It's to be expected, but it's still disappointing. Sure, I'm a fan, but I've been watching coaches here reward players with opportunities in camp and in season based upon draft position and seniority as opposed to merit. All Coker really does is be legitimately productive with less snaps. No way he should've ever been cut.

We might get one lime tortilla chip.

Bryce needs to be stopped for his own sake.

Can't stand him. He's the human form of a weasel.

Don't know where you're getting that. You just referred to what the experts are saying about QB like it's gospel, but now you're saying that they're wrong about Burden. Many many experts consider him the number one WR in this draft. Now I'm not saying that he is, but you dispatching of him like he's some chump doesn't compute with me. Burden also projects as more than a slot guy. T-Mac has nice measurables (though not a speedster), but he's not the consensus #1.

Bryce's draft stock