Panthers trade up for Zach Wilson in 7-round mock NFL Draft

Round 2 (Pick No. 45)

Liam Eichenberg – OT (Notre Dame)

Now that the Carolina Panthers have their quarterback, they need to get more in the way of talent around him. New general manager Scott Fitterer has made no secret of his desire to generate more in the way of selections, which he does in this scenario with a trade down with the Jacksonville Jaguars for three later-round picks and one in the third round that was given up to acquire Zach Wilson.

Make no mistake, if the Panthers give up some draft capital by trading up in the first round, they’ll be moving back in one of the rounds after that. Fitterer gained an exceptional reputation for finding some gems late in the draft during his time with the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina will be hoping he brings this to a different environment.

Getting better protection around Wilson is going to be critical. It appears as if Taylor Moton and center Matt Paradis will be staying around, but the Panthers might need to find three new starters on the offensive line in free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft.

Liam Eichenberg makes a ton of sense here. He enjoyed a prolific career at Notre Dame and looks to be a plug-and-play starter in the NFL as an edge protector in the right fit, which Carolina would provide.

While he isn’t the quickest from a footwork perspective, Eichenberg’s power at the point of attack is hugely impressive and his adjustment to the next level should be an easy one.