When the Panthers and Texans play each other on Sunday in Carolina, all eyes will be on the two quarterbacks. This game will feature the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft (Bryce Young) facing off against the No. 2 overall pick in the draft (C.J. Stroud).
This will mark the fifth time in NFL history that two quarterbacks will face each other as rookies after being selected with the top two picks in the draft. Although it's rare to see that matchup, this game will actually feature something that's even more rare and that's because it's a quirk that has NEVER happened before in the NFL's modern draft era, which dates back to 1967.
This game will actually feature the TOP THREE picks in the 2023 NFL Draft and that's because third overall pick Will Anderson Jr. plays for the Texans. For most of NFL history, the top three picks have ended up with three different teams, which is why we've never seen all three picks playing in the same game during their rookie year.
The Texans had two of the top three picks this year, marking just the third time in the modern era that one team had two of the top three picks. The other times in happened came in 1992 (Indianapolis) and 2000 (Washington).
In 1992, the Colts and the Rams combined to have the top three picks, but those two teams didn't face each other that season. In 2000, Washington and Cleveland combined to have the top three picks, but once again, the two teams didn't face each during the season.
The Texans didn't originally have the No. 3 overall pick in the 2023 draft, but they made a blockbuster trade with the Cardinals that moved them up to from 12th to third overall, which allowed them to select Anderson.
Young and Anderson were teammates at Alabama and the former defensive star for the Crimson Tide sounds like he's definitely looking forward to facing his friend.
"It's going to be really fun, it's going to be a great challenge for us," Anderson said this week of facing Young, via KPRC-2 in Houston. "He does a lot of great things in the pocket... Phenomenal player, it was great playing with him. We're excited to play against him."
During their time together at Alabama, Anderson never got to hit Young at practice, so he'll be getting his first chance on Sunday.
"That's all that's been going through my mind is 'I get a chance to hit Bryce Young,'" Anderson said. "It's going to be a great challenge for us. Me and Bryce go way back. We started school together, so it's going to be fun."
As for the Stroud vs. Young battle, those two are also friends and the Panthers QB made it clear that he wants to see Stroud succeed, well, except for maybe this week.
"There's never going to be a time that I'm not rooting for C.J., I guess outside of obviously this weekend," Young said this week, via the AP. "I don't want to speak for CJ., but I think he feels the same way. We just both want what's best for each other. We both want each other to be successful."
Right now, Stroud plays for the better team and this is a game where his 4-3 Texans are currently favored by three points over the winless Panthers (0-6). Not only do the oddsmakers favor Houston, but so does history. In the four prior matchups between the top two picks, the No. 2 overall pick has gone 3-1.
1993: No. 2 pick Rick Mirer leads the Seahawks to a 17-14 win over Drew Bledsoe's Patriots.
1998: No. 1 pick Peyton leads the Colts to a 17-12 win over Ryan Leaf's Chargers.
2015: No. 2 pick Marcus Mariota leads the Titans to a 42-14 win over Jameis Winston's Buccaneers.
2021: No. 2 pick Zack Wilson leads the Jets to a 26-21 win over Trevor Lawrence's Jaguars.
We actually broke down the Young vs. Stroud matchup with a Tale of the Tape and you can see that by clicking here.
