What Will the Panthers Do at No. 8 Following the Sam Darnold Trade?
Earlier this week, the Carolina Panthers traded a 2021 6th round pick, a 2022 2nd round pick, and a 2022 4th round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for 23-year-old QB Sam Darnold.
With GM Scott Fitterer making this deal, it seems very unlikely that Carolina will still consider taking a quarterback in the first round of this year's draft. So, all of those mock drafts that I've put out over the last month or two...yeah, you can forget about them. This completely changes the team's approach at No. 8 and will now look to address other areas of the roster aside from quarterback. Let's take a look.
Fix the offensive line
Carolina will be working to get a long-term deal with right tackle Taylor Moton done over the next several months and now, have the opportunity to draft one of the top tackles in this year's class to really solidify the two tackle spots. Penei Sewell (Oregon) and Rashawn Slater (Northwestern) are going to be the top two tackles off the board. The question remains if they'll still be there when Carolina is on the clock. The Bengals are sitting at No. 5 and will almost certainly take one of the two. If they don't, they're just asking for something bad to happen AGAIN to their new face of the franchise, Joe Burrow.
I like both Slater and Sewell but if I had my choice, I'd side with Sewell although Slater is probably the more polished of the two.
Stabilize the secondary
Carolina is extremely thin at corner once again but made a big signing on Wednesday with the addition of A.J. Bouye. He's 29 years old and is coming off a season in which he dealt with injuries and a suspension so it's hard to tell what he's really going to bring to the table. There are two corners in the first round that I think can be difference makers - Patrick Surtain II (Alabama) and Caleb Farley (Virginia Tech). Choosing Farley at No. 8 is a bit of a reach, so if they stay at eight, Surtain II should be the choice if they elect to go with a corner. South Carolina's Jaycee Horn is flying up everyone's draft boards but I'm not as sold on him as I am the other two.
Give Darnold another weapon
Picking a wide receiver, running back, or a highly skilled tight end always excites the fans because they are more exciting picks than say an offensive lineman or a defensive tackle. A week ago, drafting a skill position player wouldn't have made much sense. Now with Darnold on board, it could open up that possibility. Wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase (LSU), Jaylen Waddle (Alabama), DeVonta Smith (Alabama), and tight end Kyle Pitts (Florida) are all very intriguing options that could make an already explosive offensive attack even more dangerous.
Trade down
This would actually be a good idea if Sewell or Slater are not available at No. 8. In that case, I would heavily consider the thought of trading down and gaining an extra pick. Someone like Minnesota, New England, or Washington may want to make a move up to get a quarterback and by doing so, will likely have to give up their first-round pick and then some. If they were to trade with one of those three teams in the middle of the draft order, they could still snag CB Caleb Farley.
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