Teams around the league are filling out their rosters as the free agency period gets underway, but for teams with picks near the top, the focus is on the 2023 NFL Draft happening next month.
There has already been movement at the top. The Chicago Bears became the first team since 2017 to trade the first overall pick, sending it to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for wide receiver DJ Moore and a handful of valuable picks.
That first pick was available for the taking. Already having who they believe to be their franchise quarterback on their roster, there was little chance that the Bears were ever going to stay put at the top in a quarterback-heavy draft class. There are too many teams that are looking to add a young prospect under center, and there was value to be had.
Carolina moving to No. 1 has sent QB C.J. Stroud to the top of the first-pick betting odds. https://t.co/nI8COwpden
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 13, 2023
The Bears will use the returning assets to surround Justin Fields with talent (as they’ve been doing at the start of free agency), and it is no guarantee that the Panthers will stay put at #1. And apparently, the likelihood of who is selected first depends on the team making the pick.
The 3 Players Who Could Be Taken #1 In 2023 NFL Draft
Bryce Young
When the Bears possessed the pick, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young was the odds-on leader to be the top selection. The thought was that if Chicago opted to move on from Fields and go even younger, that it was Young who they’d have their eye on. His measurable at the combine were concerning, as he stacked up next to the likes of Kyler Murray in his stature. Still, he is listed as the second-most likely to be picked first.
CJ Stroud
Now that the Panthers will be picking first, Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud is now the favorite to be the pick. He had a better sophomore season than junior season, but Stroud placed third in Heisman voting in 2022, and he is thought to have a body that is far more ready for the NFL than that of Young.
Anthony Richardson
He was once a long shot to be the first overall pick, but after showing impressive arm strength at the combine, Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson is now within shouting distance as far as the odds are concerned. He is the opposite of Young when it comes to body build, but he has been known to have accuracy issues. It would be a gamble, but apparently it is a possibility that a team selects him first overall.
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