Todd McShay Projects Panthers to Trade Up, Select QB at No. 3
Earlier this week, ESPN's Todd McShay dropped his latest 2021 NFL Mock Draft which had the Panthers striking a deal with the Miami Dolphins to move up for the No. 3 pick. Below is the trade that McShay is projecting.
Miami receives:
No. 8 pick
No. 39 pick
2022 1st round pick
Carolina receives:
No. 3 pick
With that 3rd overall pick, McShay has the Panthers selecting North Dakota State QB Trey Lance. Although I'm still not sold on Carolina selecting Trey Lance, this isn't a bad trade to make in terms of the deal itself. I feel like Miami will want more in return or a better combination of picks but if they would be willing to agree to the proposed deal above, you 100% make the trade.
Now, in my own humble opinion, I don't believe in using that pick on Lance. I think Lance should go between picks 7-10 and not inside the top three. He's got a lot of question marks surrounding him and only playing one game this year did not help his cause.
I would still make the trade up to No. 3 but only if the Jets pass on BYU QB Zach Wilson. If he is off the board, it would suit the Panthers best to just stay put at No. 8 and take the best player available while also holding onto your other draft picks. Moving up five spots for a quarterback that has no business going No. 3 just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
I do think Lance can carve out a solid career in the league but it's going to take some time for him to develop and will not be an immediate solution to the Panthers' quarterback issue. Wilson or even Ohio State's Justin Fields will be able to hit the field sooner and would make more sense to select third overall.
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:
Facebook - @PanthersOnSI
Twitter - @SI_Panthers and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.
