Adam Thielen Wasn't Told Panthers' QB Draft Plans Before Contract amid Stroud Rumors

New Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen said on Monday that the team wouldn't give him any indication of which quarterback they were leaning toward taking with the top overall pick.

"I was trying my hardest, I promise I was trying my hardest to get that out of them," Thielen said on The Pat McAfee Show. "That was one piece of information they wouldn't give to me because they knew I would leak it to my guy."

Among the options for the Panthers with the top pick at the quarterback position include Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Florida's Anthony Richardson and Kentucky's Will Levis.

Stroud and the Panthers have already met extensively:

And earlier in March, when discussing what the Panthers might do with the top overall pick after swinging a trade with the Chicago Bears to acquire it, The Athletic's Joe Person reported that "league insiders believe it will be Stroud, who's bigger than Young, more accurate than Richardson and more of a playmaker than Levis."

But we are fully in smokescreen season, so it's hard to know which rumors to trust.

On Tuesday's First Draft [10 minute mark], ESPN's Todd McShay said that source revealed to him that "Young is already their guy at that No. 1 spot. He's never been wrong. ... I think it absolutely comes down to C.J. Stroud and Young. It's not Anthony Richardson from Florida, it's not Kentucky's Will Levis. It's one of those two guys. I'm hearing Young, but Stroud seems to be a better fit for what Frank Reich is used to in the past working with quarterbacks."

Either way, one of the young quarterbacks in this year's draft will have Thielen to throw to in 2023. The veteran wideout signed a three-year, $25 million with the team in the offseason after spending his first nine seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.

The former undrafted free agent is a two-time Pro Bowler, and while he's past his prime at this point, he still caught a solid 70 passes for 716 yards and six touchdowns in 2022. The 32-year-old has registered at least 700 receiving yards in six of his last seven seasons.

The Panthers weren't exactly loaded with weapons at the wideout position before his signing, so he'll be expected to lead the passing game this season. Who is throwing to him remains to be seen.