Breaking down the Panthers’ options if they draft a QB despite Sam Darnold trade
The Panthers have been aggressive quarterback shoppers this offseason. They made a serious push for Matthew Stafford before he was dealt to the Rams, continued to remain “locked” on Deshaun Watson despite sexual assault allegations and were the recipient of multiple first-round QB projections, including this mock draft from the Touchdown Wire.
Eventually, the team settled for a struggling 23-year old with upside, trading for Jets quarterback Sam Darnold in a deal that involved sending three draft picks to New York.
Panthers GM Scott Fitterer recently told reporters that the trade “doesn’t preclude the Panthers from taking a QB in the draft.” So, what are their options?
The top-five quarterbacks
If a quarterback is available at Carolina’s first-round draft selection, there is a good chance it is not our top-ranked prospect in the draft. Trevor Lawrence is nearly a lock to be selected by the Jaguars, and our third-ranked quarterback Zach Wilson has almost unanimously been projected to be picked by the Jets.
The draft essentially starts with the No. 3 pick, held by the 49ers. Amidst reports that the Niners are likely to select Alabama QB Mac Jones with their pick, our second and fourth-ranked QB prospects would be available just four picks ahead of the Panthers.
If Ohio State QB Justin Fields or NDSU QB Trey Lance are available at No. 8, we think the Panthers will be fielding trade offers for all 10 minutes that they are on the clock. Teams like New England and Washington would need to trade up to select one and one NFL insider thinks that Washington would “unload all of their picks” to secure Lance. If the Panthers can get a 2022 first-round pick by trading back, that may be their best option at No. 8.
The late-round options
Whether the Panthers trade back from No. 8 or stay put and select someone like Kyle Pitts, Penei Sewell or Rashawn Slater, a few intriguing quarterback options may remain on Day 2 and 3.
Although Darnold projects to be the starter in Carolina in 2021, Scott Fitterer could opt to create competition at the QB2 spot between P.J. Walker, Will Grier and a draft pick.
Kellen Mond is a high-upside and high-variance dual-threat quarterback prospect out of Texas A&M with plenty of experience under his belt. In addition to the rolls of game tape labeled with Mond’s name, the Panthers’ coaching staff even had the opportunity to coach him at the 2021 Senior Bowl. We project that Mond will be a Day 2 pick, widely seen as a developmental pick with the potential to become an NFL starter.
Davis Mills, Kyle Trask and Jamie Newman come in ranked as our seventh-, eighth- and ninth-best quarterback prospects in this year’s draft, all projected to be selected on Day 2 or 3. Mills is a relatively inexperienced Stanford product with a history of injuries who could be the first quarterback off the board after the consensus top-five. Trask and Newman are harder to project, thanks to their respective steep development curve and inexperience.
Conclusion
The Panthers’ trade for Sam Darnold guarantees one thing: it allows Carolina to select the best player available (or trade down) in the draft. Rather than being forced to settle for the fourth or fifth-best QB prospect at No. 8, the team has options. We think the best idea would be to fill a need along the offensive line, though a trade down may be too enticing to resist if a top quarterback is still on the board when the Panthers are on the clock.
