Panthers: Should the team trade down in the upcoming draft?

Carolina Panthers’ General Manager Marty Hurney would be extremely wise to trade down in the 2018 NFL Draft.

One of the most boring moves for fans on draft day is a trade down. However, the Carolina Panthers should seriously consider moving down from the 24th overall pick given a plethora of factors.

Lack of an Offensive-Changing Weapon

With the Panthers picking at 24th, it seems more and more unlikely that the best receiver in the draft, Calvin Ridley, falls. The Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, and Dallas Cowboys have all been connected with the Alabama standout. The other intriguing offensive pieces such as Hayden Hurst and Rashaad Penny don’t warrant a first-round pick.

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Truly, the only game-changing offensive piece in this draft class is Saquon Barkley. For the few Panthers’ hopefuls out there who still believe that Barkley will be available at 24, stop dreaming.

The Quarterbacks of this Draft

The fact that there are five potentially franchise-altering quarterbacks means that teams will be trading up and down the board in order to attempt to nab their next franchise quarterback. Also, teams will be stretching for these quarterbacks meaning that players with the talent to warrant a top-five pick will slide down the board.

The best example of this is how the Saints were able to draft Marshon Lattimore. Lattimore’s talent warranted a top-five pick. However, due to the Chiefs and Bears stretching to take quarterbacks, other players slid down the boards. In a situation where a player is highly – graded by a team lower than the Panthers, the Panthers should not hesitate to trade down from the 24th pick.

The Necessity to Build Depth

What the Panthers truly need in the 2018 draft is a game-changing wideout. However, with the 24th overall pick, the Panthers are unlikely to discover that game-changing wideout. What the Panthers can do is to trade back and build depth at the receiver position in order to avoid a situation where Brenton Bersin is part of the starting line-up in a playoff game.

It can legitimately be argued that the only quality starting receivers  the Panthers possess are Devin Funchess and Torrey Smith. As tempting as the speed that Brenton Bersin, Kaelin Clay, and Damiere Byrd present on the field, none of their hands are reliable enough in critical and playoff situations. It’s time for the Panthers to build depth and add  weapons for quarterback Cam Newton.

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Verdict

The Panthers desperately need to build up the talent around Cam Newton. The wide receivers that Newton was forced to work with last year were pathetic compared to the arsenals of the other quarterbacks in the NFC. Drew Bress has Michael Thomas, Mark Ingram, and Alvin Kamara. Kirk Cousins has Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Jared Goff has Cooper Kupp, Todd Gurley, and Robert Woods. It’s time that the Panthers provide Cam Newton with a multitude of reliable, versatile weapons and trading down from the 24th pick could be a great first step.