4 star players the Panthers could acquire for Christian McCaffrey
By Nick Halden
Malik Willis could be drafted thanks to a Christian McCaffrey trade
Acquiring Malik Willis for Christian McCaffrey would obviously have to be an indirect trade, moving the running back for another first-round pick. If the Carolina Panthers are going to take a quarterback in the draft they should look no further than the former Liberty sensation.
Willis feels like the perfect quarterback for a franchise that perfectly fits his style of play.
The incoming college recruit isn’t Cam Newton when it comes to scrambling, but he can use his legs to help his team. He has a much better arm than either Sam Darnold or Newton, can throw a beautiful deep ball, and is capable of being a great signal-caller at the next level with additional work on his decision-making.
In a draft that isn’t particularly strong at the quarterback position, it is hard to see Carolina drafting Willis at No. 6 overall. He is more likely to be a mid-first-round pick despite shining prominently throughout the evaluation process so far.
If the Panthers got an extra first-rounder for McCaffrey, acquiring Willis is a risk worth taking providing nobody beats them to it.
Matt Rhule’s track record with quarterbacks is concerning. But even the head coach should be capable of helping Willis fit in the Carolina offense that is now being coordinated by Ben McAdoo.
The one downside to this potential move is the fact that drafting Willis likely points to Carolina keeping Darnold in case Willis isn’t ready for Week 1.