5 draft tips for Carolina Panthers fans heading into 2023 offseason

Mock drafts are not the end-all-be-all

One of the most fun things about the draft season is mock drafts. It leads to long debates and discussions about why a player would be drafted high, their fit with a team, and other factors that could be involved.

Yet, this goes back to my tip from earlier – there are few guarantees during the draft itself and the process leading up to it. Mock drafts are simply theories and predictions of what people think could happen on draft night or throughout the weekend.

In a recent mock draft done by The Draft Network’s Kyle Crabbs, he presented a scenario where Bryce Young was not the No. 1 overall pick, which is a possibility. Instead, he mocked Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter to the Houston Texans.

In that same mock draft, he had the Carolina Panthers trading up for Kentucky signal-caller Will Levis with the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 4 overall selection.

Will this scenario come to fruition? It’s entirely possible. That does not mean it is what Crabbs thinks will actually happen in late April.

Throughout the rest of this draft cycle, you will see many pundits provide different scenarios as to what may happen in the first round of the NFL Draft or a seven-round mock providing every possibility for your favorite football team.

Mock drafts help fans prepare for what may happen. As the saying goes, expect the unexpected.

With the regular season completed and the draft order set for non-playoff teams, you will see plenty of mocks with 2023 free agency out of consideration. We will know more about what a team will be looking for in the draft following the first few weeks of free agency.

This concludes my draft tips for Carolina Panthers fans. Don’t hesitate to shoot me a DM on Twitter @JRodNFLDraft for more advice.