Dan Morgan Should Break Panthers' Draft History and Swap With Rams for Caleb Downs

If the Panthers and Rams can make this a possibility, it will be well worth whatever it costs to flip the draft picks.

A Los Angeles Rams helmet is seen on the sideline prior to the game | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

We have written a ton about whether or not the Carolina Panthers will trade down in the NFL draft. It seems like an extremely viable and potentially brilliant strategy for Dan Morgan to employ. Why pick one of five or six prospects you like when you can move down, get more assets, and have the board pick for you?

But what if the Panthers trade up? That seems pretty unlikely. Morgan's traded up before, but he's never traded up from a first-round pick. It's mostly been movement in the middle rounds or trading up from 33 to 32 for Xavier Legette, which hardly counts.

But if the mock draft scenario presented here by CBS Sports insider Bryant McFadden is at all possible, the Panthers should sprint to the phone to get the deal done.

Panthers could swap picks with Rams for Caleb Downs

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Caleb Downs catches a ball during Pro Day | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

We wrote recently about the Panthers needing to move heaven and earth to get him if Caleb Downs somehow slips outside the top 10. In one scenario, he fell all the way to 18th, one pick before Carolina got on the board.

If that happens, it will be agonizing to have come so close to arguably the best overall prospect and miss out. If he's even remotely close, the Panthers ought to take a swing on Downs, giving them the best player at a position of great need.

In Bryant McFadden's mock, the Panthers do just that. They trade up with the Los Angeles Rams, who own the Atlanta Falcons' 13th pick, for Downs, while LA lands Omar Cooper Jr. Imagine a world where the Falcons help hand the Panthers the best safety prospect in ages.

McFadden wrote, "This is a home run. Downs, Lloyd and Phillips give Carolina a top-10 defensive core instantly, making this unit look beyond scary." It is impossible to disagree. While the Panthers could still use another linebacker and another IDL, safety is the biggest need.

The Panthers needed a linebacker, so they went out and signed the best one on the market. They needed an edge rusher, so they went out and signed (by some accounts) the best one on the market. They need a safety, and in this scenario, they go out and trade up for the best one possible.

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive back Caleb Downs catches a ball during Pro Day | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Downs is a generational player. It is hard to imagine him truly falling to 13th, but that would be a dream come true. He'd fit right in with Tre'von Moehrig, rounding out what would immediately be one of the best secondaries in the NFL.

Combine that with a rebuilt front seven, and all of a sudden, this Panthers defense that was so historically bad in 2024 might be one of the best units in the league this season. Oh, and we didn't even mention that Downs also returns kicks, an area the Panthers could definitely improve in.

Safeties aren't considered very valuable, which is why Downs isn't going to be a top-three pick in all likelihood. He also has some vague injury concerns, but he'd be the best possible pick for the Panthers.

The mock draft didn't say what it would cost to move from 19 to 13, but it would likely cost the Panthers a couple of early picks in 2026 and 2027, maybe in the second or third rounds. It would be well worth it, though, to get a player of Downs' caliber.