Carolina Panthers 7-round 2024 NFL mock draft: Bye week dilemmas
By Dean Jones
Which way could the Carolina Panthers go with their 2024 NFL Draft selections with the team sitting at 0-6 on their bye week?
After six weeks of the 2023 season, confidence has sapped entirely from the Carolina Panthers fanbase. Promises of an NFC South title challenge and playoff football in Frank Reich's first season couldn't have been further from the truth - something that's leading to speculation of a fire sale for additional capital before the trade deadline.
This is not what anyone associated with the Panthers had in mind. It's also got some sections of the fanbase already looking ahead to the 2024 offseason and what the NFL Draft might bring.
The Panthers hold the No. 1 overall selection right now as the NFL's only winless team. Unfortunately, they are giving this to the Chicago Bears as part of their trade to land quarterback Bryce Young last spring.
There's nothing those in power can do about that now. But using the Pro Football Network simulator, we took a look at how the Panthers could use their 2024 NFL draft selections in a special bye week mock.
Carolina Panthers trade No. 33 to the Patriots
BYEMOCK
Obviously, things could look much different in terms of the number of draft picks available and needs by the time next April rolls around. But one would be hard-pressed to see where the Carolina Panthers would get a first-round pick from without a trade-up or parting ways with someone like Brian Burns or Derrick Brown.
That would be ill-advised given their importance to the team's defensive strategy. In this scenario, the Panthers move down a few spots in the second round for another pick and a third-rounder in 2025 for good measure.