Panthers' Frank Reich on Bryce Young vs. C.J. Stroud Matchup: 'Got the Guy We Wanted'

Ahead of a matchup between the top two picks in the 2023 NFL draft, Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich has no regrets that his team selected Bryce Young over C.J. Stroud with the No. 1 overall selection.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Reich explained the Panthers "got the guy we wanted" and they "couldn't be happier about that in every way."

The Panthers made a trade with the Chicago Bears to move up eight spots in the first round of the draft to select a quarterback. They gave up wide receiver D.J. Moore, the No. 9 and 61 picks in the 2023 draft, a 2024 first-rounder and a 2025 second-rounder to Chicago in the deal.

When the trade was initially reported on March 10, The Athletic's Joseph Person added that league insiders believed the Panthers were targeting Stroud because he was "bigger than Young, more accurate than (Anthony) Richardson and more of a playmaker than (Will) Levis."

ESPN's Stephen Holder recently noted it's been "an open secret" in the NFL that Panthers owner David Tepper "heavily influenced" the team's decision with the No. 1 pick.

As the pre-draft process moved along, Young moved into the driver's seat for the No. 1 overall pick. The Panthers made it official when they selected him on April 27. Stroud was taken second by the Houston Texans.

Through the first seven weeks of the 2023 season, Stroud has been vastly superior to Young. The Texans quarterback ranks fourth in the NFL in pass yards per game (276.7), tied for 11th in touchdown passes (nine) with just one interception in 213 attempts.

Young has thrown for 963 yards, six touchdowns, four interceptions and is completing 63.2 percent of his attempts in five games.

The Panthers are the NFL's only remaining winless team (0-6). The Texans (3-3) have already won as many games this season as they did all last season and are currently one game out of a wild card spot in the AFC playoff standings.

Young and the Panthers will host Stroud and the Texans at Bank of America on Sunday.