2023 NFL Draft – Carolina Dreaming

General Manager Scott Fitterer, in a press conference after the trade was announced, talked about the sheer volume of assets the Panthers were forced to part with. How “it hurt” to have to give up All-Pro wide receiver D.J. Moore in the trade, on top of everything else. He went on to extol Moore’s many virtues on and off the field – emphasizing the potential impact his departure will have on the Panthers and Carolina.

But, in the end, they simply had no choice, stressed Fiterer. “We had to do what we had to do to get in this position,” he carefully concluded.

If it pained them to do it, but they still went ahead with the trade anyway, it must have been worth it for the Panthers brass. They must have fallen in love with a player. So much so, that getting him was worth more than keeping Moore in the long term.

The only position in the NFL that can justify that kind of a King’s ransom is … the quarterback position. And for that reason, the NFL betting markets have taken stock of this trade, re-evaluating the top four quarterbacks and their NFL odds in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.

Panthers GM Scott Fitterer did everything he could to NOT trade DJ Moore but at the end of the day the Bears weren't parting ways with the No. 1 pick without DJ Moore.

"It hurt but we had to do what we had to do to get in this position."

👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/WEdPrAM8eK

— Will Kunkel (@WillKunkelFOX) March 20, 2023

Chicago Becomes Sixth Team To Trade No. 1 Pick

Chicago became the sixth team since 1990 to trade the coveted No. 1 pick before the draft, dealing it to the Carolina Panthers on Friday, March 10.

As per the NFL news, this blockbuster trade saw the Bears receive enviable draft capital that includes the No. 9 pick and the No. 61 pick in 2023, a first-rounder in 2024, a second-rounder in 2025, and, last but not least, Moore, who is a former first round pick (No. 24) in the 2018 NFL draft and is one year into a three-year deal worth $61.88 million with the Panthers.

Based on the volume of these assets, it’s widely expected that new head coach Frank Reich and Carolina’s front office are eyeing up a quarterback and the top bet is C.J. Stroud as we look at the latest sports betting odds.

The Houston Texans, in possession of the No. 2 overall pick, were reportedly interested in moving upt but they couldn’t meet Chicago’s price. Therein lies the motivation for Carolina being tempted to trade out of the No. 1 pick for additional  draft capital. But this presupposes the fact that the Texans brass are desperate for one particular quarterback, more so than Carolina is.

NFL Betting Impact – the 2023 NFL Draft and NFL Futures Odds

When the Chicago Bears clinched the No. 1 pick in the final week of the regular season, the speculation gates burst wide open.

Would the Bears trade out of the No. 1 pick? Or, would the new regime move away from quarterback Justin Fields and use it to draft a quarterback of their own choosing?

General Manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus inherited Fields, the No. 11 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, from the previous dysfunctional group in charge. So, for a period, there was a suggestion that the Bears might use the top selection for themselves.

The trade between Chicago and Carolina ended weeks and weeks of speculation about what it would take to wrestle the coveted No. 1 overall selection from the Bears.

Now, that we are in possession of said answer – knowing it took a jaw-dropping volume of assets to get it – there’s only one position Carolina will realistically be tackling in the draft unless it trades it away.

Is C.J. Stroud the safest QB pick in the draft? pic.twitter.com/uUKLo8uwo0

— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 21, 2023

NFL Draft 2023 Odds – 1st Overall Pick

• C.J. Stroud -300
• Bryce Young ˇ+225
• Anthony Richardson +650
• Wll Levis +4000

Stroud Bumps Young From Top Spot

Before news broke of the trade between Chicago and Carolina, Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young was the presumptive favorite to go first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Then, the sportsbook exchange had Young tipped at  -190 to be the first player to come off the board.

Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson (+300) was the next-best bet after Young and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud was the third overall favorite at +350.

With the Panthers prying the No. 1 pick from Chicago, this entire betting online market was turned on its head.

As things currently stand, Stroud is the presumptive favorite at a whopping  -300 while Young is the next-best bet at +225.

In the meantime, Richardson has seen his NFL odds drift to +650.

Tennessee The Last Team To Trade No. 1 Pick

The last time the No. 1 pick passed hands was in 2016, when the Tennessee Titans traded it to the Los Angeles Rams a couple of weeks before the draft. Then, they parlayed that pick, along with the  No. 113 (4th round) and No. 177 (6th round) pick, into a first-round pick (No. 15), two second-round selections (Nos. 43 and 45), a third-round pick (No. 76). And a first- and third-rounder in 2017.

The Rams selected Jared Goff first overall in the draft. The Titans used the same draft to select Derrick Henry in the second round with the No. 45 pick.