Last year, the Carolina Panthers had to watch C.J. Stroud win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year for the Houston Texans, all while Bryce Young struggled mightily on a weekly basis to make the transition from college to the pros.
The Panthers could have chosen Stroud with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but after trading a king’s ransom to the Chicago Bears for that selection, they opted for Young instead.
As the 2023 season came to a close, that trade became even more painful to think about, as Carolina’s first-round pick that went to the Bears in the deal became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft.
With that pick, the Bears selected Caleb Williams, widely regarded as one of the best quarterback prospects in modern draft history.
In addition to all of the premium draft picks the Panthers sent to Chicago in that trade, they also gave the Bears their best wide receiver, D.J. Moore.