CJ Stroud Now the Odds-On Favorite to be Number One Pick in NFL Draft Following Bears Trade With Panthers

The Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers sent shockwaves through the NFL on Friday afternoon with a major NFL Draft shakeup.

Chicago sent the Panthers the number one overall pick in April’s draft in exchange for pick No. 9, pick No. 61, a 2024 first-round pick, a second-round pick 2025, and wide receiver DJ Moore.

What a haul.

Following the trade, Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud shot up the board as the favorite to be the number one overall pick, according to our NEW exclusive wagering partners at FanDuel. Here’s their full list of odds:

2023 NFL Draft – Number One Overall Pick

CJ Stroud                                      -320

Bryce Young                                +300

Anthony Richardson                  +350

Will Levis                                    +2200

Jalen Carter                               +9500

Will Anderson                           +9500

Prior to Friday’s trade, Alabama QB Bryce Young was the clear-cut favorite to be the number one overall pick. He impressed at the NFL Combine with his height and weight despite not doing any on-field drills, and was all but the consensus number one quarterback in the class.

Somebody knows something inside the Panthers building. There’s no other reason for the odds to have changed that fast. It’s clear that they’ve identified their guy – and for that, they should sprint the card up to the podium as soon as the draft opens. Carolina has put a high-quality offensive coaching staff together this offseason in Frank Reich, Josh McCown, and Jim Caldwell – and they will now be able to mold Stroud into the quarterback that they want to win with.

Interestingly enough, reports quickly came out of Carolina post-trade that the Panthers could potentially trade back again. From Pro Football Talk:

The Panthers quickly got out word to their local writers that they could trade back. Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer and Joe Person of TheAthletic.com had nearly identical tweets: The Panthers feel they now “control” the draft, and they are not discounting backing up in the draft to recoup some of the compensation they lost if they have a couple of quarterbacks they like.

Because of the word “control” alone – they won the trade… but so did the Bears.

Chicago moved themselves back just eight spots, picked up three additional picks, and will now bring in a bonafide number-one wide receiver in DJ Moore to pair with franchise quarterback Justin Fields. This was a win-win for both franchises.

We still have plenty of offseason left to unfold before we begin to think about the draft – but for now, it feels like CJ Stroud is set to be a Carolina Panther.

Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @PatriotsCLNS for the latest up-to-date Patriots news!

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