The Panthers know exactly who they’re going to select with the No. 1 overall pick on Thursday night.
And they’re not going to give the answer away early.
With a new coaching staff, Carolina had its first voluntary minicamp practice on Tuesday. After the session, head coach Frank Reich confirmed that he and General Manager Scott Fitterer had a talk to solidify the team’s top choice on Monday.
“He actually came in my office yesterday at some point and asked the question. It was kind of like a proposal, of sorts. And I said yes,” Reich said with a laugh in his press conference. “No, there is consensus and we’re excited.”
As a follow up, a reporter asked who the choice is. Unsurprisingly, Reich wasn’t telling.
“We’ll announce that Thursday at about 8 o’clock,” he said.
Reich said everyone likely had inclinations and expectations heading into the process, and there likely weren’t big changes of heart. But the team’s scouting staff and coaches executed a thorough process.
"[T]here’s ebbs and flows to how much you like a guy. That’s why you have to resist the temptation to make your mind up too early,” Reich said. “So, I thought we as a scouting staff and coaches did a good job of not falling into that trap. Just take it for what it is. Take it day by day. Go on these visits. Watch tape. Go through the process. Continue to evaluate and talk it through.”
Reich added that the conviction on the pick built gradually over the last few months, particularly for the coaching staff.
“I mean, the scouts were ahead of us,” Reich said. “They had already done all their work. So as coaches, as we dug in, our conviction started to build slowly but surely.”
While the betting odds have greatly improved for Will Levis to be the No. 1 overall pick, Bryce Young is still heavily expected to be Carolina’s choice on Thursday night.
The mystery will all come to a conclusion in just a couple of days.