8. Carolina Panthers
Paul Vernon/AP
Our Picks:
Avi: TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
Timothy: QB Justin Fields, Ohio State
AJ: TE Kyle Pitts, Florida
Shawn: OL Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
Jacob: Patriots trade up and select QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State
Cade: QB Justin Fields, Ohio State
Colin: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
Finally, we reach the pick that made half of us have to completely redo our Mock Drafts!
The Carolina Panthers made a trade to acquire QB Sam Darnold from the Jets to be the starter going forward.
Before the Panthers made the trade, there were many analysts, and many of us included, who believed that the Panthers would be selecting whichever quarterback was available with this pick.
However, that is no longer the case.
With a new, young starting quarterback on the roster, the Panthers’ best bet would be to try and do what the Jets failed to do for the past three seasons and surround Darnold with as much talent as possible.
While there still is a chance that the Panthers trade this pick to a team looking to take a quarterback and recouping some of the draft capital they gave up in order to acquire Darnold, it would be very intriguing seeing Kyle Pitts line up with Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore with Darnold and Christian McCaffery in the backfield together.