2023 NFL Draft: Exploring possible QB scenarios at top of draft, beginning with Panthers' decision at No. 1

A look at several directions this draft might go early on

The 2023 NFL Draft is mere hours away. We think we know what the Carolina Panthers are going to do with the No. 1 overall pick, but we don't know for sure. All we do know is that it's going to be a quarterback. 

Because there are four quarterbacks considered to be at or near the top of the class, we're going to walk through all the potential scenarios of what the Panthers could do with the first selection, and what it might mean for the other quarterbacks and the other teams picking early in the draft. 

The Panthers taking Bryce Young with the No. 1 pick is the most likely scenario, so we're dividing it into three different buckets ...

Panthers take Bryce Young, Texans take QB

What happens if the Texans take a QB at No. 2 overall? Well, is it C.J. Stroud, Will Levis or Anthony Richardson? 

Depending on which of those three is their choice, the Cardinals might get different offers from different teams in exchange for the No. 3 overall pick. Which teams would want to move up, and do their desire to do so depend on a certain one of those three players being available? How far back are the Cardinals willing to move? And if the Texans take a quarterback, might the Cardinals actually want to stand pat and take the best defensive player on the board, or even tackle Paris Johnson Jr., as has been rumored in recent days? 

If the guy the Colts want isn't on the board when they're up at pick No. 4, would they revisit the idea of Lamar Jackson? Even after Jim Irsay made a ton of noise about how this will be the offseason the Colts get their QB of the future, would Chris Ballard be willing to move down and try to get somebody like Hendon Hooker later on?

Panthers take Bryce Young, Texans pass on QB

The hot rumor in recent weeks has been that after the Panthers take Young with the No. 1 overall pick, the Texans will not choose a quarterback but instead opt for the top defender in the class. 

Depending on who you talk to, that defender is either Will Anderson Jr. or Tyree Wilson. If they take one and the Cardinals love the other, will Arizona pass on trade offers and just take that player at No. 3? And if it goes Young-Anderson/Wilson at Nos. 1 and 2, which team will be trying to move up to No. 3? 

Are the Colts comfortable letting somebody else try to jump in front of them, risking that they won't get their preferred player out of Stroud, Levis, and Richardson? Is all the recent smoke about their preference being Levis legit, or is it actually just smoke? Is there a team that likes Levis even more than the Colts supposedly do, and wants to jump ahead of them? Which team is it? The Titans? The Vikings? 

Panthers take Bryce Young, Texans trade down

Things get even crazier if the Texans decide they want to trade down. Who's moving up? Who is their target? And why do they feel they need to leapfrog the No. 3 pick instead of just letting the Texans pick a defender and then making a deal with the Cardinals? 

That likely means Arizona found another trade more enticing than the one that particular team offered. So, it might be a team from further down the draft board. Is it the Raiders? Seahawks? Vikings? Titans? Patriots? Commanders? What are they offering, and who do they want?

Panthers pass on Bryce Young

This is the scenario that seems like it's inviting chaos, but actually might make things fairly normal. In the event that the Panthers take Stroud, Levis, or Richardson instead of Young, the Texans would take Young at No. 2. And then the Cardinals would face the decision of either taking the best defender on the board at No. 3 or trading down to a team targeting whichever of Stroud, Levis and Richardson is left over, with the candidates for such a trade up being the same as they were in previous scenarios, and the Colts facing the same decision of whether to move up one spot or risk that another team jumps in front of them and takes their guy. 

Panthers take Bryce Young, the other QBs go early

Could we see quarterbacks come off the board with the first four picks of the draft? If the Panthers take Young, the Texans take one of Stroud, Levis or Richardson, and the Cardinals trade out of the No. 3 pick, it's entirely possible. What happens then? A lot of defenders will start falling down the board, and we could see teams maneuvering to land the likes of Anderson, Wilson, Jalen Carter, Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon. 

We could also see teams picking late in the first round or early in the second round try to move up the board and land Hendon Hooker, who is a fifth quarterback rumored to potentially be in the first-round mix. Which teams like him? Are they willing to wait and hope he makes it to their spot on the board, or would they have to move up?

Panthers take Bryce Young, the other QBs start to slide

If the Panthers take Young and the Texans and Cardinals both stand pat and select defensive players (or the Texans do and the Cardinals take Paris Johnson), the Colts will have their choice of non-Young quarterbacks. But what if the Seahawks, Lions and Raiders all decide they're not interested in the other two quarterbacks left on the board? Might one or both of them make it to the Titans at No. 11? Could one of them tumble all the way to the Seahawks at No. 20? What would all of that mean for Hooker? 

The Lamar Jackson domino

The Ravens signed Odell Beckham Jr. and are seemingly willing to bring Lamar back on the franchise tag next year. Lamar obviously does not want to play on the tag, and wants a long-term deal. Is someone willing to give it to him if, when they come on the clock, they don't like the quarterback options left on the board, but the Ravens do, and Jackson is willing to sign there? Could we actually see Jackson traded during the first round of the draft? (Probably not, but it would be fun.)