Last month, the Carolina Panthers acquired the No. 1 selection in the 2023 draft from the Chicago Bears in a blockbuster move.
In exchange for the No. 1 selection, the Bears received star wideout D.J. Moore, the No. 9 and No. 61 picks plus a 2024 first and a 2025 second-round pick. It is widely assumed that Carolina will take a quarterback in either Alabama’s Bryce Young or Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud.
But, what if the Panthers were willing to deal the No. 1 selection to recoup some of the draft capital they sacrificed? It’s unlikely, but we’ve seen crazier things happen in the NFL.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell proposed a hypothetical trade idea for all 31 2023 first-round picks; the Miami Dolphins had their first-round selection docked after an NFL investigation determined that they had committed tampering by contacting Sean Payton and Tom Brady in 2019.
For the first overall pick, Barnwell proposed a trade in which Carolina deals the No. 1, No. 39 and No. 132 picks to the Houston Texans in exchange for the No. 2, No. 33, No. 65 and No. 73 selections:
“I don’t think the Panthers can expect to recoup too much for the move down, given that even calling Houston about a potential deal erodes a decent amount of their leverage. This only works if the Texans have an expressed preference for a particular quarterback and the Panthers successfully scare them into thinking they’ll take that guy at No. 1…
In addition to moving up six spots in the second round, the Panthers would land two picks toward the top of the third round, helping them recoup some of the capital they sent to the Bears in the original trade. The Texans, who are flush with picks as a product of last year’s Deshaun Watson deal, would package two of those selections to get the quarterback of their choosing. They also would get the fourth-rounder the Panthers acquired as part of the Christian McCaffrey trade.”
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2023 marks the first year in which the No. 1 selection was traded since 2016. That year, the Los Angeles Rams moved up via trade with the Tennessee Titans so they could select current Detroit Lions’ starter Jared Goff with the top pick.
What will Carolina do with the No. 1 selection? We’ll find out within eight days.
