Carolina Panthers: Potential NFL Draft trades with opposite strategies

Two opposite NFL Draft trade strategies for the Carolina Panthers.

In just over a week the Carolina Panthers will add a few new faces to their roster via the NFL Draft. The next step in offseason acquistions, general manager Marty Hurney has been hard at work reconstructing a roster capable of winning a championship during the 2019 season. Initially faced with some big shoes to fill at a number of positions, Hurney has put the team in seemingly good position as the draft approaches.

Retiring captains Julius Peppers and Ryan Kalil left vacancies at defensive end and center, respectively, but Carolina added Bruce Irvin and Matt Paradis in an effort to ease the burden. Paradis is expected to start while Irvin should fill a rotational role or aid in the transition to more 3-4 defensive fronts next season.

The Panthers elected to not re-sign linebacker Thomas Davis, losing another veteran captain but are expected to lean on Shaq Thompson and the play of Jared Norris, Jermaine Carter or Andre Smith on defense.

Hurney also added Chris Hogan at receiver after losing Devin Funchess and brought back Cameron Artis-Payne for depth at running back, leaving only safety as the truly unaddressed position, although Da’Norris Searcy was starting last year before being injured.

The moves have prepared Carolina to employ one of two opposite strategies when making a draft day trade. With safety, defensive end and offensive tackle potentially being the three biggest areas of concern, Hurney could execute either of the following:

MOVE UP
Adding three potential starters at each position of need would require getting some relatively high picks. Currently slated to pick first at No. 16, Hurney could mix and match all of the late round picks with the current round in an effort to move up. Giving up a compensatory third round pick and the first-round to slide up and land someone who may not be available when originally scheduled to have been on the clock.

Continuing to match late round picks with the given round could allow Carolina to grab three playmakers early, essentially forfeiting any players who would have been targeted later on and instead focusing on signing some quality undrafted free agents to fill out the roster.

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MOVE DOWN
Depending on how Hurney values the picks and depth of talent at each of the positions in need, he could potentially trade down and still land a solid pass rusher. The talent pool at defensive end is loaded and matches well the Panthers needs for this draft.

However, doing so would mean less of a chance at landing an immediate starter at any of the other positions in need – not necessairly a bad thing. Using the remaining picks to draft two candidates at each position who would add competition during the summer and at training camp as players battle for a number of undetermined first-team spots.

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Stay tuned and see what unfolds as the NFL Draft takes place next Thursday thru Saturday, April 25-27 in Nashville.

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