#1 Draft Pick: When the Future Touches the Past
/The Carolina Panthers hold the top pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Much debate has occurred about who the highly touted pick will be and why it should be that particular prospect. When does this happen? On April 27th, the Carolina Panthers will decide who is leading this team into the future. It's been 12 long years since the Panthers were in the Poll Position. Ironically enough, we are in the same place of need as we were all those years ago. (It was so many years ago Tony didn't have a podcast yet.) Quarterbacks are on the menu, and the fan base is absolutely famished. The Panthers' offensive power rankings have been bottom marks of the league for the past two years. The weight of this decision and all of its repercussions will echo throughout Panthers Nation for years and years to come.
This moment has been a calculated effort by the Panthers' front office to turn this team entirely around from the putrid team that fans saw in the first four games of last season. Hard to believe they could've worked any harder on the moves that were made. Well, I’m sure some will say the Panthers could have full-on tanked and gotten the top spot without sacrificing draft capital and DJ Moore. Nevertheless, the Panthers worked strategically to move to the #1 spot in the draft and give Frank Reich the real opportunity to succeed in building a winning Panthers team.
It all started when we traded beloved running back Christian McCaffrey. As much pain as it brought to the fandom, it also brought hope. Most fans felt it was a solid trade, and the team had many holes that could be addressed with the myriad of draft compensation given during the trade. Fans were licking their chops, just dreaming about all the young talent we could bring to the Panthers. Meanwhile, the front office wasn't done, and a head ball coach was yet to be named. Buck Fitty and crew set out on a fantastic voyage where they had a short list of candidates, looking under every rock and down every hole in the NFL. What we didn't understand at the time was they were feeling out the rest of the coaching staff, while simultaneously sizing up the rest of the league. The Panthers' front office absolutely bodied the NFL. We brought in Frank Reich as head coach and proceeded to the most prominent coaching signing spree the Panthers have ever seen. The fan base wasn't sure how to react. The obscure coaches we had unfortunately gotten used to just simply wasn't the case any longer. My two favorite signings were both named Special Assistants, offensive and defensive, respectfully, Jim Caldwell and founding Head Coach Dom Capers. Shortly after the NFL Combine, the Panthers struck the trade that shook Panthers Nation to its core. We had to sacrifice another beloved offensive player in DJ Moore to aquire our coveted position of number one in the 2023 NFL draft.
The stage is set, and all the spotlights are on the Carolina Panthers.
That's how we got here, but what happens next? How do we select from two Cali quarterbacks and turn one of them into the face of the Carolina Panthers? Who will explain to the new guys our mantra and what it truly means? Wouldn't we as fans want our new star to understand Keep Pounding and the importance of Sam Mills? Explain how Sam was just inducted to Canton, and how he became the greatest Carolina Panther. Would you want that person to be the owner? Of course, it's his money, after all. For me, it's simple. I want the guys that stood on the field opening day of our inaugural season. Luckily for Panthers fans, we have two of those guys on the staff. First of all, we have Frank Reich. Frank was the very 1st quarterback for the Carolina Panthers. He walked out on the opening day with the owner and Sam Mills himself for the inaugural coin toss. It's hard to think of someone better to imbue our new quarterback. Reich knew Mills and was his teammate and friend. Frank can explain how his leadership exemplified a winner on and off the field. Dom Capers, our original head coach, is the second person I want to play this role. He not only coached Sam, but he, in turn, coached Frank as well. I remember seeing Dom on the sidelines and in all of the press coverage of the Panthers. He embodies professionalism, toughness, and doing things the right way. Not the easy way. I can only imagine the stories Dom would tell the fledgling quarterback and how those stories would embody our mantra of Keep Pounding. How the Panthers never submit, and even when we're down, we're still striving for a way to win. It may not mean much to some, but to hear those conversations and see those feelings come to life in our new star would certainly be a special moment in Panthers Fandom.
By @DeezIllSkillz