Prediction: Panthers Trade No. 7 Pick to Las Vegas
With the Carolina Panthers "exploring all options" with their first-round pick in this year's draft, everything is on the table. Last week, GM Marty Hurney talked with the media on a Zoom call and mentioned that the team will look at trading up, staying put at seven and trading down.
In all likelihood, all teams are doing this with their first-round picks to ensure that they are taking the right player at the right spot in the draft. With that No. 7 overall pick, the Panthers would love to see Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons fall into their lap, but with the amount of interest that the New York Giants have in him, I would be shocked if he made it outside of the top five.
So, with the theory that Simmons is off the board at seven, I'm predicting that the Panthers will trade out of the pick. Yes, Derrick Brown is a solid "Plan B" option, but a team that is searching for a way to trade up for a quarterback will come along and overwhelm Carolina. Who would that team be? Las Vegas. Yes, they have Derek Carr and they signed Marcus Mariota in free agency, but there is a growing belief that the raiders have interest in Utah State quarterback Jordan Love.
Here is my projected trade:
Panthers receive: No. 12 pick, 3rd round pick (80th overall), 5th round pick (160th overall), 2021 4th round pick.
Raiders receive: No. 7 pick
Seems like the Raiders would be giving up a lot, right? Well for reference, when the Bears traded up to the 2nd pick for Trubisky in 2017, they traded the 3rd overall pick, 2nd round pick (67 overall), 4th round pick (111 overall) and a 2018 3rd round pick.
When the Chiefs traded up for Patrick Mahomes, they traded up from No. 27 to No. 10 but gave up a 3rd round pick (91st overall) and 2018 first-round pick (16th overall) to the Bills.
With that deal going through, Love would go 7th to Las Vegas, and only one team between picks 8-12 (Jacksonville) has a definite need on the defensive line. So, even with trading back, there's a legitimate possibility that Derrick Brown could still be on the board. If the Jaguars do take Brown, then I would expect the Panthers to turn their attention to guys like DL Javon Kinlaw (South Carolina), OT Andrew Thomas (Georgia), DL K'Lavon Chaisson (LSU), CB C.J. Henderson or CB Jeff Gladney.
What are your thoughts on this projected trade? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
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