Did Carolina Panthers' owner force team to take Bryce Young over CJ Stroud?
The Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young over CJ Stroud in the 2023 NFL Draft, but was this pick heavily influenced by their owner, David Tepper? If this is true, which it seems to be, Tepper may have made a huge mistake and should probably let the professional front office handle the roster building.
A video from CJ Stroud's Pro Day back at Ohio State catches a Carolina Panthers contingent chatting with Stroud after the session, and they seem to be over the moon with the QB. Here's the video for your reference:
#OhioState QB C.J. Stroud meets with #Panthers contingent after his Pro Day. QB Coach Josh McCown says "You spun it well, bro, that was great. That was awesome.
— Nick Carboni (@NickCarboniWCNC) March 22, 2023
Then the two proceed to schedule a game of horse, Stroud saying "I'm gonna take his money."
📹: @shawndunagan pic.twitter.com/UIWFY1DvUe
What makes this video interesting is QB coach Josh McCown saying something like "maybe when you're in Charlotte..." as the two joke about playing a game of "HORSE" on a basketball court. It seems to be that the Panthers probably wanted to take CJ Stroud, who is off to an excellent start with the Houston Texans. Stroud has yet to throw an interception and has a 98.4 passer rating.
He looks like a five-year veteran and kind of feels like a better version of Jared Goff/Dak Prescott. Anyway, there's also this report that Tepper was heavily involved with the team selecting Young over Stroud in the 2023 NFL Draft:
This was painful to watch because it isn’t the first time I’ve heard him say this.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) October 10, 2023
It’s an open secret in the league that the owner heavily influenced the QB choice, which is never ideal. https://t.co/AFMJy4hcAf
NFL team owners are at times way too involved with the roster. They own the team; that doesn't make them roster experts. In fact, it kind of only means they have money to purchase the team. Head coach Frank Reich and the rest of the Panthers' offensive staff probably all preferred Stroud, just based on this snippet from Reich, the report you can read about here, and their interactions with Stroud at his Pro Day.
The issue with Bryce Young is his size. He's quite literally the size of a slot cornerback and is just getting pummeled in Carolina through five games. Carolina is 0-5 and the Chicago Bears have their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Right now, that first overall pick is likely going to be Caleb Williams from USC.
At this point, the Panthers truly need to make it work with Bryce Young, so expect them to be aggressive in trying to develop the young QB.