A Decision Has Been Made on the No. 1 Pick

The Panthers know who they are taking with the first pick in this year's draft.

Scott Fitterer finally popped the question and Frank Reich said, "Yes."

On Monday, the two got together to discuss what they will do with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and walked out of that meeting knowing who will be their future quarterback.

"He actually came in my office yesterday at some point and asked the question. It's kind of like a proposal of sorts. And I said yes," Reich said with a big smile. "There is consensus and we're excited."

It's been a long couple of months as they and the rest of the Panthers' front office debated who would be the best fit for this franchise. From the very beginning, they had a pretty good idea of who they liked but as Reich alluded to in his press conference on Tuesday, their feelings about one quarterback grew stronger and stronger as time went on.

"We all went into the thing with ideas, inclinations. But there's ebbs and flows to the process. I wouldn't say there's any drastic change of mind but there's ebbs and flows of how much you like a guy. And that's why you have to resist the temptation to make your mind up too early. I thought we did a good job of not falling into that trap. Just take it for what it is, day by day. Go on these visits, watch the tape, go through the process, continue to evaluate and walk it through."

So, will it be Bryce Young? C.J. Stroud? Anthony Richardson? Maybe even Will Levis? 

"We'll announce that Thursday at about eight o'clock," Reich said.

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