Could the Panthers Make a Draft Day Trade?
The Carolina Panthers traded last season's starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to the Denver Broncos for a sixth-round pick. This could be the start of a very active draft season for first-year general manager Scott Fitterer and company.
Fitterer has been very open about possibly trading down from the No. 8 pick. This was a common theme for the Seattle Seahawks when the now Panthers GM was a part of their organization. It often worked out for them too, considering they built an elite defense and stole one of the NFL's best QBs throughout the 2010s. This has many fans and media members speculating that Carolina could deal its first-round pick on draft day.
The Good Morning Football crew threw out some ideas about what a possible trade scenario could look like:
Out of these three options the deal with the Chicago Bears probably pays the most dividends. The Panthers would drop from No. 8 to No. 20 in Thursday's draft but a 2022 first and third would be well worth it.
The trade with the Miami Dolphins isn't bad, however the 2023 first-rounder from San Francisco figures to be a low end pick. Dropping from eight to eighteenth isn't that big of a slide but it could cause Carolina to miss out on a rare talent like OL Penei Sewell or TE Kyle Pitts.
The scenario of sending the No. 8 pick to the Philadelphia Eagles makes the least amount of sense given the fact that they would only get two future thirds in return.
The chances of a top-five QB sliding to the No. 8 pick seem to be rising the closer we get to Carolina being on the clock. While the Panthers are not out of the QB market entirely, they seem to have their 2021 starter set in Sam Darnold. If a team like the Bears, Eagles or Patriots is willing to throw a ton of future draft capital in a deal then it might be worth a listen.
Carolina hopes to be a team that is outside of drafting in the top ten in the future. Fitterer will have a tough decision ahead of him on draft day when it comes to keeping or selling his No. 8 overall pick. The last time the Seahawks had a top-ten pick was in 2010 when they held No. 6 overall. They selected OT Russell Okung. Fitterer was in charge of player personnel and scouting during that draft.
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