Major trade with familiar faces in full 7-round Panthers 2021 mock draft
By Dean Jones
A major trade between the Carolina Panthers and some familiar faces forms the main focus of our latest full seven-round 2021 NFL Draft mock.
It is going to be immensely interesting to see just which way the Carolina Panthers will do with their 2021 NFL Draft selections. They clearly have more options at their disposal after acquiring Sam Darnold from the New York Jets, which puts them in a powerful position with their No. 1 option under center for next season already in place.
Make no mistake, the Panthers didn’t give up three picks over the next two years for Darnold to sit on the sidelines. Carolina is betting the former USC standout can turn things around in a different environment, which is still highly questionable considering his level of production over the last three years.
One way the Panthers can assist their new quarterback is by getting some quality college recruits who can make an immediate impact. Hopefully, those in power can have similar success to that which was achieved in 2020, with the arrival of Scott Fitterer from the Seattle Seahawks another huge positive that shouldn’t be overlooked.
If Carolina can strike it big then a surprise postseason challenge won’t be far behind. At the very least, they’ll give Darnold more of a chance to start living up to his potential and progress in some other areas of the field in the process.
Using the Pro Football Focus simulator, we took a look at how the Panthers might approach the draft, which starts with a major trade in the first round.