In the 2023 NFL draft the Carolina Panthers were looking to trade up. The Chicago Bears held the first overall pick with having the worst record in football. At the time the Bears had Justin Fields at quarterback, so there was no need to select a quarterback number one overall. The Bears wanted to upgrade the roster overall and were looking to trade to a quarterback needy team. Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud were projected to go at the top of the draft since they were the highest rated quarterbacks coming into the draft. The Panthers traded up in the draft from 9 to 1. The Panthers also gave up a massive haul and now this trade is looking like one of the worst trades in NFL history.
The Carolina Panthers Traded the ninth overall pick, their 2023 second round pick, their 2024 first round pick, a 2025 second round pick, and most importantly D.J. Moore. With the first overall pick the Panthers selected Bryce Young, the quarterback out of Alabama. At the time the future looked bright for Carolina, but even looked even brighter in Chicago.
D.J. Moore had his best season as a receiver with over 1,300 receiving yards and proving he is a true number one in the NFL. The ninth overall pick turned into Darnell Wight, an offensive tackle out of Tennessee and a fourth round pick. The bears traded down one pick with the eagles to acquire the fourth round pick. Wright has been a solid offensive lineman with being a very good run blocker. He hasn't been the best pass blocker, but has shown enough that he can be a top tackle in the NFL. It didn't help having Justin Fields at quarterback who got sacked more than he should have for holding on to the ball for too long. This fourth round pick was later traded to acquire Keenan Allen. He is coming off of a very elite season with the Chargers, and has been one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Carolina’s second round pick to the Bears turned into Tyrique Stevenson. Stevenson had a very solid rookie year at corner. He is looking like one of the better corners in the league and is a great complement to Jalen Johnson on the other side. Stevenson had a pick six in the season opener against the Titans.
Carolina was very bad in 2023 and Bryce Young did not have a good year. Their 2024 first round pick turned into the first overall pick. The Bears selected Caleb Williams, a quarterback coming off a heisman year. He has been projected to be a generational quarterback but only time will tell with Williams since he has only played two games, thus far. The Bears also still have Carolina’s second round pick in this upcoming draft, and it will probably end up being an early second rounder.
In week 3 the Carolina Panthers have announced that they are benching Bryce Young. They drafted him first overall and gave up a massive haul to acquire him. In one season and two games they already decided to give up on him. I believe this move to be a bit premature, the Panthers are just a weak overall team, it’s hard to say if Young was the problem. This trade stunned the Panther’s progression to get better, and it now looks very good for Chicago. Chicago has gotten their future quarterback, future left tackle, and future corner on rookie contracts for the next four to five years. They have also gotten two superstar wide receivers with D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen. The Bears clearly won this trade, even if Williams doesn't pan out. Looking back at it now this has to be one of the biggest lopsided trades in recent NFL history.
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