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Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst
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If Panthers Don't Take a QB, They Love Bijan Robinson

Updated March 2, 2023
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.

Last season, the Carolina Panthers traded star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers to build up their reservoir of draft picks. The Panthers have been on an odyssey looking for a good quarterback since Cam Newton aged out as an elite player. Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield all didn't pan out as their starter. With the ninth-overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft and two second-rounders, Carolina looked poised to take a young quarterback and potentially move up for a player of its choice.

If the Panthers were to sign a veteran like Derek Carr, perhaps unlikely because of their salary-cap situation, or if all the quarterbacks are gone before they are on the clock, they could take Texas running back Bijan Robinson as a Plan B. Multiple sources with the Panthers told WalterFootball.com they love Robinson and feel he is a rare freak player who could be too good to pass on if the team doesn't select a quarterback in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Many scouts and evaluators around the league state they believe Robinson is the best player in the 2023 NFL Draft. While Robinson is a big powerful back with speed, teams rave about his route-running and what he can do as a receiver. The modern NFL is driven by the passing game, so a back like Robinson is easy to fall in love with because of his versatility as an offensive playmaker.

After trading away McCaffrey last year, the Panthers got good production out of D'onta Foreman, but Foreman is slated to be a free agent. Years ago, sources with Carolina told me that Panthers owner David Tepper had some reservations about signing McCaffrey to a big extension because of age and the wear-and-tear that running backs incur. McCaffrey was signed to a lucrative extension, but for a couple of years it looked like a questionable decision because McCaffrey dealt with injuries in 2020 and 2021. Given that history and inclination, Tepper might be skeptical to use the No. 9 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft on a running back. However, multiple sources with Carolina say they love Robinson and that if the team somehow don't take a quarterback in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Robinson would be a top target for the franchise.

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If Panthers Don't Take a QB, They Love Bijan Robinson

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