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Panthers insider projects Round 2 trade up with Seahawks for Notre Dame defender

The Carolina Panthers’ defensive unit will obviously have numerous new faces in 2025. One writer has them being active trade-wise during this week’s NFL draft.
Russell Baxter|
Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts (0) against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts (0) against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

Dan Morgan got the Carolina Panthers’ offseason thanks to a number of free-agent additions on the defensive side of the ball. Now the NFL draft is just two days away, and things could get even more interesting according to a Panthers’ writer.

Joseph Person of The Athletic has latest and final seven-round projection for the three-day event at Lambeau Field (April 24-26). The Panthers have a total of nine selections. As many have forecasted, he has the club grabbing University of Georgia edge rusher Jalon Walker with the eighth overall pick. Then things get interesting. He has Carolina grabbing the 52nd overall pick from the Seattle Seahawks (acquired from Pittsburgh for wide receiver DK Metcalf) in exchange for a second- (No. 57) and a fifth-round (No. 146) selection. The choice is Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts.

Jalon Walker
Dec 7, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Jalon Walker (11) reacts against the Texas Longhorns during the first half in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

“The Panthers signed former Raider Tre’von Moehrig to be their inside-the-box safety. But Ejiro Evero still needs someone to patrol the back end and hunt receivers while making plays on the ball. There’s a big gap between the Panthers’ first- and second-round picks. So, I have Morgan trading with John Schneider, his former boss in Seattle, to get in front of Tampa Bay, which also is believed to be in the safety market.

“Watts intercepted 13 passes over his final two seasons in South Bend,” added Person, “including an FBS-leading seven in 2023 when he won the Bronko Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defender. Watts (6’0”, 205 pounds) is both a playmaker (he returned an interception 100 yards for a TD last season) and a leader (he was a team captain each of the last two years).”

On Day 3, Person has the Panthers’ dealing down. In the fourth round, Morgan will give the 111th overall pick to the Tennessee Titans for a pair of choices in the fourth- (No. 120) and sixth-round (178) rounds. All told, he still has Carolina selecting nine players, six of those to aid the defensive side of the ball.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.