5 prospects the Panthers do not want to see in the NFC South

Justin Fields – QB (Ohio State)

The critique coming the way of Justin Fields during the evaluation process has been nothing short of extraordinary. This is a quarterback that has done it all at the college level against the best teams consistently, so for the Ohio State star to be getting anything but praise for his production on the field when it matters most is borderline slanderous.

Fields has lit up two pro days in front of some high profiles figures. So it would be a massive surprise if he was still available after the top-five picks.

However, if the San Francisco 49ers end up taking Mac Jones out of Alabama, then it puts the Atlanta Falcons in pole position to take the prospect with a view to him eventually replacing Matt Ryan under center.

This is a great spot for Fields to land from the outside looking in. There wouldn’t be any sort of pressure on the signal-caller making an immediate contribution unless Ryan regresses considerably and learning from a successful veteran has served the likes of Patrick Mahomes well in recent seasons.

Simply put, Fields has everything in his locker to be a star. The Carolina Panthers do not want the Falcons to replace Ryan with another potentially elite player at this position when the former MVP eventually retires or moves on, so the ideal scenario as far as they’re concerned would be for Atlanta to trade out of the spot and get more capital.