Panthers insider has one surprise name to watch if Carolina can't trade down in draft

The Carolina Panthers seem poised to trade down in the NFL draft. They have said time and again that they're open to it, and it certainly seems like they're not only willing but desirous of such a move. It would allow them to get still an impact player that can help while adding valuable draft resources.

It's not always that easy, though. Teams don't always want to trade up. They like trading up for quarterbacks, which makes Shedeur Sanders an interesting person for the Panthers to watch. If a. team wants him, they might move up. If no team wants the eighth pick and Carolina is forced to make a selection, team insider Darin Gantt has a name you're probably not considering.

Uncle @DarinGantt just dropped an intriguing name if the Panthers get “stuck” at 8th 👀 pic.twitter.com/fYyKKzKzQy
— Michael Bell (@avl_mike) April 21, 2025

Gantt thinks if Mason Graham is off the board, Walter Nolen might be of interest to Dan Morgan and the rest of the front office. "Walter Nolen's a guy who's really good, and if you get 'stuck' and it has to be Walter Nolen, that's probably not the worst thing in the world for a defense that was as bad as this one was last year," he said.

Gantt likes Jalon Walker at eight overall, but if the Panthers prefer someone who plays one position and isn't a "tweener" so to speak, then Nolen could be a good alternative to Graham to continue fixing up the interior.

The team insider also said, "If you get 'stuck,' or if Jalon Walker's off the board, or you don't want to take Walter Nolen at eight, you could do worse than Tet McMillan. Go ahead and take your receiver there rather than wait. I mean, there's a lot of different ways this thing can go."

The Panthers have options, and one of them might include a star defensive tackle that no one is expecting. Graham would make sense since he's considered the best interior defensive lineman by far, but he's also not as likely to fall to eight. If Carolina is adamant on fixing that D-line, then Nolen could be on their radar.

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