Panthers' Frank Reich: QB Taken No. 1 in NFL Draft 'Can Walk in and Be Ready to Go'

The Carolina Panthers hold the top overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, which they are assuredly going to use on a quarterback, and it sounds as though they are ready to plug whichever young player they select into the starting lineup immediately.

"I really feel like we're putting this guy in a good position," head coach Frank Reich told reporters. "So I feel like we're putting in place pieces that he can walk in and be ready to go.''

Which quarterback the team will select has remained a mystery, with either Alabama's Bryce Young or Ohio State's C.J. Stroud the favorites. Regardless, making sure that player had a roster around them built to win immediately was the goal for the Panthers this offseason.

"If you're going to go with a young quarterback, you have to have a running back, you have to have the tight end, you have to have the receivers," general manager Scott Fitterer told reporters. "We feel like we have the offensive line. ... Everything we've done the last couple years is build a defense, build an offensive line, so when we get to that position, we can drop someone in. We're in that position right now.''

The Panthers certainly stayed busy this offseason, adding players like running back Miles Sanders, wideouts Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark, tight end Hayden Hurst and safety Vonn Bell, among others. Whether they have a good enough roster to compete for a playoff berth with an unproven rookie quarterback at the helm remains to be seen.