Panthers 7-round 2023 mock draft: Life after Christian McCaffrey

Carolina Panthers select Jahmyr Gibbs

• Running Back | Alabama

Trading away Christian McCaffrey was a necessary evil for the Carolina Panthers. This team is going nowhere fast in2022, so maximizing the running back’s value and providing some salary-cap flexibility was the right call to make in difficult circumstances.

D’Onta Foreman’s been a real asset in McCaffrey’s absence. If his tremendous form continues in the coming weeks, the Panthers will likely extend the player and make him among their focal points moving forward.

With that being said, the Panthers could also examine the top running back prospects emerging from the college ranks. Bijan Robinson is the undisputed No. 1 and is unlikely to be around on Day 2, but Jahmyr Gibbs is not a bad consolation prize by any stretch of the imagination.

Gibbs has blazed a trail for Alabama following his transfer from Georgia Tech in 2022. His explosiveness and power make him an extremely difficult proposition to stop and from the Panthers’ point of view, his previous chemistry with Bryce Young on the Crimson Tide would smooth their respective transitions to a professional environment.

There is nothing Gibbs cannot do on the field. He’s already amassed 973 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns through eight games, so this looks like a ready-made successor to McCaffrey in Carolina.