Carolina Panthers make bold statement with Shedeur Sanders in 2025 mock draft

Dave Canales' bizarre statement about throwing Bryce Young into the firing line behind an under-strength offensive line with defeat guaranteed at the Chicago Bears was another nail in this fractured relationship. The head coach has lost belief. He was willing to see his confidence diminish further to keep aging veteran Andy Dalton healthy. That speaks volumes.

Young was saying all the right things after the contest. Canales has been vilified in the national media for his lack of awareness. Something that lends further weight to the fact Carolina will go in a different direction at football's most important position during the 2025 offseason.

It would be yet another change to a position group that's had no stability since Cam Newton was taking the league by storm. It's cost untold resources under David Tepper's ownership with no progress whatsoever. How general manager Dan Morgan approaches this will be critical.

This organization has a lot of holes. No quarterback aside from the elite ones can mask a team's failings. Building the roster first is a conundrum his predecessors couldn't solve. He cannot make the same mistakes.

Carolina Panthers select Shedeur Sanders in 2025 mock draft

Temptation is a powerful thing where quarterbacks are concerned during the pre-draft process. This was a sentiment discussed by Jaime Eisner from The Draft Network in his recent 2025 mock. Instead of the Panthers focusing on other problem areas, he had Carolina taking Colorado signal-caller Shadeur Sanders. And he doesn't believe the prospect's father will make things difficult when push comes to shove.

""Deion Sanders would never let his son go to the Panthers." This is the time of year when this stuff gets brought up. Yet, it seldom happens. Remember when Caleb Williams was going to avoid the Bears or not sign unless he got team ownership? I'll believe we'll get another Eli Manning situation the next time it actually happens. Instead, knowing there is no real safety net option in free agency, let's take a fresh swing at a young quarterback with Dave Canales. Shedeur Sanders is my early QB1 because of his arm talent and ability to thrive amongst the chaos in the pocket. I'm excited to see how he grows under NFL coaching."

- Jaime Eisner, The Draft Network

Sanders has obvious talent. He's got charisma and elusiveness. He can get the ball downfield quickly. Whether he's ready to start immediately remains to be seen, but the Panthers could sign a veteran free agent to bridge the gap in this scenario.

This would spell the end for Young in Carolina, which seems inevitable as things stand right now. But thinking all this team's problems will go away without the correct foundation for Sanders or anyone else to flourish is foolish. It's also exactly how the Panthers got into this ungodly mess, to begin with.

Canales would welcome the opportunity to take the quarterback of his choosing and mold him accordingly. There's a lot of football left and plenty of twists to come. However, it seems for all the smart money as if the Panthers might have their pick of quarterback prospects from the college ranks once again.

If that leads to Sanders, so be it. But Morgan and his staff better have a plan in place to fortify other positions on the depth chart if he opts to go in this direction.

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