Final 7-round Panthers 2021 mock draft after Teddy Bridgewater trade
By Dean Jones
Which way will the Carolina Panthers go in the 2021 NFL Draft after parting ways with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for a sixth-round pick?
Once the Carolina Panthers made the move to trade for Sam Darnold from the New York Jets, it was inevitable that Teddy Bridgewater would not be on the roster by the time OTAs rolled around. The quarterback endured a less than stellar season after getting another chance to make a starting job his own, but going 0-8 on game-winning or tying drives forced the team’s hand to go in a different direction.
Bridgewater was traded to the Denver Broncos for a sixth-round pick one day before the 2021 NFL Draft. This gives the Panthers the selection back they gave up to bring Darnold on board and this portion of the draft is somewhere that general manager Scott Fitterer had an incredible amount of success during his time with the Seattle Seahawks.
What comes next for Carolina will shape the future of the franchise. They haven’t ruled out the possibility of taking a signal-caller despite acquiring Darnold, with the groundwork in place for a potential trade down with the New England Patriots, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Carolina Panthers have plenty of options at No. 8.
There are so many options available to the Panthers, who will now move on from Bridgewater after inexplicably giving the former Louisville standout a three-year, $63 million deal with a $15 million signing bonus and $33 million guaranteed last year.
Using the Pro Football Focus simulator, we took a look at which direction the Panthers might go in our final seven-round mock draft before the big weekend.