Carolina Panthers select Alabama quarterback Bryce Young in first round of 2023 NFL Draft

With the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers selected former Alabama quarterback and 2021 Heisman winner Bryce Young, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The Panthers made several changes to their coaching staff and roster this offseason, including trading up for the right to draft No. 1. By picking Young, they addressed their biggest need and will hope it pays off heading into next season.

Panthers make major changes in 2023 offseason

Following their fifth straight losing season, the Panthers made several moves this offseason to revamp their roster. Firstly, they hired Frank Reich as their head coach after parting ways with Matt Rhule five games into the 2022 season.

Reich, who spent the past five seasons as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, brought in Thomas Brown from the Los Angeles Rams as his offense coordinator. He also added Ejiro Evero from the Broncos as defensive coordinator and former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell as a senior assistant.

Next, Carolina took a big leap by trading last year’s leading receiver DJ Moore as well as four draft picks — two firsts (2023, 2024) and two seconds (2023, 2025) — to Chicago for the No. 1 pick. The Panthers hope to find their future franchise quarterback with the pick and hired Josh McCown as quarterbacks coach to develop him. McCown played quarterback in the NFL for 16 seasons and enters the first year of his coaching career in Carolina.

The Panthers also made quite the splash in free agency. After shipping Moore to the Bears, they signed receivers Adam Thielen and DJ Chark to give their No. 1 pick some weapons in his rookie season. They also added tight end Hayden Hurst and running back Miles Sanders, fresh off his first 1,000-yard season with the Eagles.

Defensively, Carolina returns Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Burns, who led the team with 12.5 sacks in 2022. Leading tackler Shaq Thompson, cornerback Jaycee Horn and safety Xavier Woods all return as well to give Evero a solid core to work with.

More on the 2023 NFL Draft, Panthers picks

The 2023 NFL Draft, which began Thursday, April 27, continues through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event location this year is the plaza just outside of Union Station.

Round 1 of the NFL Draft began at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft broadcast runs throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.

Below is the full list of Panthers draft picks for 2023.

• Round 1, No. 1
• Round 2, No. 39
• Round 3, No. 93 (from San Francisco)
• Round 4, No. 114
• Round 4, No. 132 (from San Francisco)
• Round 5, No. 145