4 surprising moves the Panthers made during the 2021 NFL Draft
By Dean Jones
Drafting a WR in Round 2
Another big surprise early in the 2021 NFL Draft was the Carolina Panthers selecting a wide receiver in Round 2. This was not considered a need by any stretch of the imagination thanks to the presence of D.J. Moore, David Moore, and Robby Anderson as their starting trio, but that did not stop those in power from taking Terrace Marshall Jr. at No. 59 following their decision to trade down.
This might not have been in the team’s original train of thought. But when a potential first-round talent drops so far down the pecking order, they did a nice job of reacting to their board in order to reunite Marshall with his former passing game coordinator at LSU, Joe Brady.
As stated previously, the need for a franchise left tackle was great and the Panthers let plenty of talented prospects slip through the net early on Day 2. However, the team’s loyal fanbase didn’t have to wait much longer for a player at the position after Carolina moved up in the third round to get their hands on Brady Christensen.
Marshall has the chance to be an absolute superstar if he can stay healthy. This is the primary reason why he dropped into the late second round and it will be up to the player and the Panthers to maintain supreme physical fitness to avoid further complications at the next level.
If he can do this and perform as expected, Carolina will have a real player on their hands.