Panthers Urged To Partner With Texans for Draft-Day Blockbuster Trade

The Carolina Panthers reportedly considered trading down last year when they eventually picked Tetairoa McMillan eighth overall. Could they do it again this year? It's certainly possible.

GM Dan Morgan likes to move up and down the draft board to accumulate picks or find the right prospects. It is very plausible that the Panthers pick something other than 19th. To that end, ESPN's Bill Barnwell has a proposal that just might work.

Panthers mock trade with Texans might be ideal draft strategy

Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Panthers currently own the 19th pick, which is not ideal for landing the best prospect. What if they traded down to get a slightly worse prospect but a lot of valuable draft capital? ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell has an idea.

Here's what the Panthers get:

1.28
2.59
4.106

And it's all for the price of:

1.19
3.83
6.200

Ultimately, it's not quite what you'd expect from trading down nine selections (see the Falcons-Rams trade last year), but the 19th pick doesn't have immense value. Plus, the Panthers add a second-round pick and move up from 200 to 104 elsewhere. That's significant.

The Panthers would likely be passing on Makai Lemon, Jordyn Tyson, Kenyon Sadiq, and others they could easily pick with the 19th pick. So who might be available here in this new draft slot? Here are some possible prospects:

S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
EDGE Akheem Mesidor
CB Avieon Terrell
WR Omar Cooper Jr.
IDL Kayden McDonald
IDL Peter Woods
OT Caleb Lomu
WR KC Concepcion
OG Chase Bisontis

Any of those prospects would make sense. For what it's worth, running a draft simulator with The Athletic's big board, the following were options:

TE Kenyon Sadiq
IDL Kayden McDonald
EDGE Cashius Howell
S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren
LB CJ Allen
IDL Peter Woods

In this scenario, the Panthers would be thrilled if Sadiq was still available, and they'd take him. If he's not, then McNeil-Warren would also be a delightful surprise. The point is, the Panthers would have solid options and more draft capital if they did this deal.

Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) warms up before the game against the James Madison Dukes | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Panthers are not overflowing with talent, but they may finally be in good enough shape to consider such a move. Ordinarily, the talent gap between the 19th prospect and the 28th is enough to make a difference for a team like Carolina.

But after a wonderful free agency period, it's a lot less vital to get the best possible player, so the Panthers can afford to get a lesser prospect while adding value and capital to play with later on. If this is how draft night goes down, it wouldn't be a bad thing.