4 ways Jets win impacts the Panthers’ 2021 NFL Draft plans
By Dean Jones
Penei Sewell might be gone at No. 2
If the Jets decide they would be somehow better off with Sam Darnold under center than Justin Fields, they might opt to select an elite protector to give their current quarterback the best possible chance of succeeding.
Darnold isn’t a terrible signal-caller by any stretch of the imagination. It’s easy to forget he was once himself a highly touted prospect before the Jets selected him at No. 3 overall in 2018 and if they are intent on finding his long-term replacement there are sure to be plenty of interested teams looking to trade for the player next spring.
If they stand pat and give Darnold one more chance, then Penei Sewell should be their primary objective.
The Oregon prospect is the best offensive lineman to enter the NFL in recent memory. Sewell can do it all and he even received multiple Heisman Trophy votes in 2019 after a phenomenal campaign protecting Justin Herbert.
He is someone who would be of considerable interest to the Carolina Panthers, although the Bengals would also have a big say in where Sewell goes as they look to keep Joe Burrow upright when he returns from injury in 2021.
The Jets selecting second changes everything.
And Sewell has now become one of the primary dominoes at the top-end of the 2021 NFL Draft.