4 teams that blew it not drafting or trading for C.J. Stroud

3. Carolina Panthers whiffed taking Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud

Now we have the franchise that ultimately traded up to the No. 1 pick with the Bears, the Carolina Panthers. Panthers owner David Tepper had longed to make an aggressive move to acquire a franchise quarterback and leaped at the opportunity to do so with the No. 1 overall pick. They ultimately landed on former Alabama signal-caller Bryce Young.

Though this isn't entirely on Young, the Panthers rookie has been less than stellar as Carolina has gotten out of the gate with a dismal 0-5 start. Young missed one game with an injury -- which could be argued adds more concern to his biggest pre-draft knock, his size holding up in the NFL -- but has also thrown for just 750 yards in four games with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Young could still very well end up being a franchise quarterback for Carolina. For my money, he was the best quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft class, which he showcased week after week for Alabama. At the same time, though, the concerns about his size are real and, more importantly, he's not in the best of situations with the Panthers right now.

So when you then see what Stroud has done to begin his career, it's quite a contrast between the No. 1 and 2 picks and how they've performed. That's so much the case that you have to wonder if the Panthers might be a more competitive team had they followed Josh McCown's clear pre-draft crush and drafted Stroud.