Next week Carolina will select a franchise quarterback a #1 overall for the second time in team history. Coming off a 2-14 season and in desperate need of an offensive leader, Carolina selected Cam Netwon. The Heisman winner and National Champion from Auburn wasn’t viewed as a prototypical quarterback, and many felt like Trent Dilfer, who stated, "I don't see him as the guy who is going to change your franchise. I don't see him as the leader of your team. I see him as a great talent, but with a lot of work to do." The stakes were high, and Carolina bet big on the quarterback, who looked more like a defensive end and had the freakish ability to throw a football through a piece of plywood and run over defenders who would have demolished the “prototypical” quarterback.

Twelve years later, Carolina again is in that dire position of needing a franchise quarterback — only the stakes feel immensely higher. The Panthers have been searching for a star to chart their course to ever since they parted ways with Cam Newton. It’s been a revolving door of below-average quarterbacks who have struggled with the burden of leading the Panthers' offense. It’s why the Panthers traded up to #1. They need a star. They need a franchise quarterback. They need to get the selection right, which only adds to the stakes.

There are only two outcomes when selecting a quarterback at #1 — immense success or massive failure. There’s no middle ground; just ask Jared Goff. When Newton was drafted, it was apparent to Steve Burlein that “The pressure is on him. He's the first pick, and he's a quarterback. There's no way around that. He's got to be a franchise player, and he's got to do it soon.” The expectations were high, but Marty Hurney felt good “about Cam as a person and his ability to handle that type of pressure.”

Newton had his doubters. Mel Kiper was concerned about him being a franchise quarterback, stating, “I'm not sure if Cam Newton is that guy. I think they could have gotten someone better." Better, in his opinion, was the more typical pocket passer like Blaine Gabbert. Others like Russ Lande questioned his football IQ: "I do not think he has the mental makeup that you need to be a top-flight NFL quarterback.”

The expectations and pressure were high in 2011, but for the quarterback drafted in 2023 by the Carolina Panthers, the stakes are even higher than they were for Newton, especially if that quarterback is Bryce Young. Newton may have been a controversial selection at the time, but he became the Panthers' greatest quarterback and achieved the success one associate with a #1 pick. Newton not only won the NFL Rookie of the Year award but also went on to win the league MVP award in 2015 and led the Panthers to a Super Bowl appearance in 2015. It’s easy to diminish this success because his career was shortened by injury. It’s too easy to laugh him off as someone who never lived up to the billing. For some, he’s become desperate to show he belongs in the league and has been reduced to pathetically pleading for a job as he smokes cigars and plays Madden on Youtube. Cam was Carolina’s greatest QB, and he will be the standard of comparison until someone surpasses him. Whoever Carolina selects will always be compared to Ace Boogie and ultimately live in his shadow until they eclipse his success. Talk about big shoes to fill!

It’s not just Newton’s looming shadow that will increase the stakes of Carolina’s 2023 #1 selection. The Panthers are in much better shape now than they were in 2011. There’s more all-around talent, and in the wake of firing Matt Rhule, Carolina has assembled an accomplished super-squad of coaches led by Frank Reich. Exciting up-and-coming coaches like Ejiro Evero and the pedigree of success in Jim Caldwell have renewed fans’ hopes and heightened expectations. There’s a feeling among fans that the Panthers aren’t rebuilding but just a quarterback away from playoff contention and even making the Super Bowl. These circumstances attracted veteran wide-receive Adam Thielen, who stated, “I feel like there is a real chance to win a Super Bowl, and that gets me so excited.”

The Panthers will have plenty of options with the #1 pick, but all signs point to Bryce Young. For most, Young’s only weakness is his size, which his advocates say shouldn’t dissuade the Panthers. Carolina’s General Manager Scott Fitterer has downplayed the issue, emphasizing that Young has managed to win and be successful despite his diminutive size. Young is athletic, but not freakish. He has an adequate arm, but he doesn’t have a bazooka. His elite trait is his savant-like understanding of the game and his demeanor. He’s so charismatic it’s hard not to gravitate toward him. He’s so even-keeled that he seems unshakable. He seems like a guy whose intangibles and intelligence will allow him to step in and be an instant success. This, however, is why the stakes are higher for him than they are with prospects like CJ Stroud and Anthony Richardson and were for Cam Newton in 2011. His selling point is that there won’t be an adjustment. He’s pro-ready and will thrive regardless of the circumstances. If somehow the Panthers decided to select CJ Stroud or Anthony Richardson, fans would expect more of a learning curve than they would with Young. The expectations of being a #1 pick would still be there, but I don’t think the immediacy of success would be as strong. Measurements of success would likely be a little farther in the future. If Carolina selects Young, fans will expect visible success instantly.

No matter the Panthers' direction, the stakes are incredibly high. This selection will chart the team’s course for the next five years. As the clock ticks down to draft day, Panthers fans eagerly anticipate acquiring a quarterback we believe in. It’s a selection the Panthers have to get right. There won’t be any in-between. The pick will need to be immensely successful because anything else will be a massive failure.

By Tony Dunn aka @Cat_Chronicles

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