3 reasons the Carolina Panthers shouldn’t draft a QB at No. 8
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers aren’t sold on draft QBs
According to Joseph Person of The Athletic, the Carolina Panthers weren’t entirely convinced by the quarterbacks outside of Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson entering the NFL this year. This explains why they weren’t in the running to move up like the San Francisco 49ers, instead opting to take a chance on a player who might enjoy a renaissance with more going for him away from the New York Jets.
If one falls into their laps at No. 8, then a discussion needs to be had. But the Panthers shouldn’t settle for someone like Mac Jones when they have more pressing needs that need to be addressed first.
The only quarterbacks Carolina should consider with their first-round pick are Justin Fields and Trey Lance. It appears highly unlikely that either will be around by then, but if the Atlanta Falcons decided to hold firm at No. 4, it might be a different story.
If Person is right and the Panthers aren’t convinced by any prospect outside of the top two, then they shouldn’t pull the trigger. Drafting signal-callers in the top-10 is always something of a crapshoot anyway, so getting a potentially elite offensive tackle or a shutdown cornerback might be more beneficial in the grand scheme of things.
That might not be what some fans want to hear. But the simple fact of the matter is if Carolina fancied Fields or Lance, they’d have made the necessary sacrifices to put themselves in a position to take one.