Panthers Remain Undecided on Top Pick: 'We're Still Going Through the Process,' GM Says

Carolina still has some things to figure out.

The 2023 NFL Draft is nine days away and over those nine days, the Carolina Panthers will put the finishing touches on their pre-draft meetings to determine who will be the first overall pick.

Yesterday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that Alabama quarterback Bryce Young canceled the remainder of his pre-draft visits, leading some to believe that he has been told he is the pick for Carolina. GM Scott Fitterer shot that narrative down on Tuesday stating that it was a decision that Young and his agent made on their own and that they are still evaluating all four of the top quarterbacks.

"We're still going through the process. Obviously since February, the combine, and everything else, there's been some clarity. But we've made a conscious effort to have an open mind about this. We have our last group in today. We have the coaches Wednesday and Thursday of this week and then at that point, we'll get together and make that decision. But we've got some clarity through this process."

It very well may be a two-man race between Young and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, but they're not officially closing the door shut on Will Levis or Anthony Richardson. 

"We are consciously trying to keep all four in there so we can ask every question, look at it from every angle to make sure we're making the right decision. This is a big decision for the organization," Fitterer stated. "We don't want to lock on to something early on just to decide that's our guy. We want to keep this process open all the way through."

At the time of the trade for the number one pick, many were questioning if the Panthers gave up too much. Fitterer previously admitted that losing a receiver like DJ Moore in addition to other draft capital stings but they had to take their shot. Looking back on it, Fitterer would make the same deal again.

"We felt strongly about a group of guys up there. And we knew this is something that we wanted to do. We wanted to be aggressive and go up and do this. I think through this process we made the right decision. I feel really good about going from nine to one. I'd hate to be at nine right now trying to figure this out. I know we made the right decision to go up there. We're going through the right process of being thorough --checking every box that we can and then the next step is going to be execution on draft day."

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