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Panthers Mock w/Trade Down Scenario

Jay Roosevelt

By Jay Roosevelt,
in Carolina Panthers

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Jay Roosevelt Veteran

Jay Roosevelt

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The more I study this year's draft class, the more convinced I become that - unless we get lucky and have someone fall to us - there isn't likely going to be a player available at the 24th pick that will provide both an immediate impact and good value. That said, with Kirk Cousins headed to free agency and Nick Foles a prime trade option for a team in need of a QB, it is at least possible - if not likely - that one (or more) of the top QB prospects falls into the 20's, putting us in a prime spot to trade down with one of the teams at the top of the 2nd round that is unable to land a QB at the top of round 1. This could be the Giants, with our old pal Dave Gettleman, if they end up taking Saquon Barkley over a QB, or it could be the Jets moving up for Lamar Jackson or any number of teams in the top half of round 2 looking to ensure they get their guy before the Jags, Steelers, or Saints take their QB of the future late in the 1st round.

In this scenario, I could see us picking up an additional 3rd rounder in order to move down from 24th overall to the early-mid 2nd round. If we are able to pull off such a deal, it would put us in solid position to fill a number of needs, both current and future, while also getting better value for our picks. Here's a mock I did based on just such a scenario:

 

2nd (via TRADE): Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville: We obviously need help in the secondary and Jaire Alexander is a player that would likely be going much higher if not for an injury plagued 2017 at Louisville. But there's no doubting his ability as a cover corner, something this team could certainly use right now given the struggles of both Bradberry and Worley last season.


2nd: James Daniels, C, Iowa: Ryan Kalil is retiring after this season and even if he weren't, center would be a need moving forward given his age and recent inability to stay healthy. That said, Iowa's James Daniels would be a perfect long-term replacement for Kalil that would allow us to keep Tyler Larsen as a backup, where he is best able to contribute to the team. I think he's more than capable of starting as a rookie, so even if we were to cut Kalil this offseason, we'd have someone capable of stepping in right away.


3rd (via TRADE): Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame: Our need for more talented receivers has been well documented and while this isn't the strongest WR class, there are a number of mid-round prospects that offer good value. Notre Dame's Equanimeous St. Brown is, IMO, the best of them and it's likely he would be a clear 1st round talent had he played for a team with a better QB situation. St. Brown has good size (6'4, 210) and good speed and is, IMO, the best route runner in this draft. His ability to run good routes is not something you generally see from rookie wideouts and would allow for him to get on the field early and contribute to our offense.


3rd (f/BUF): Alex Cappa, OT, Humboldt State: Tackle is a rather obvious need, and while a small school rookie isn't likely anyone's ideal solution to our left tackle problem, the options are pretty thin at the position this year and so rather than go with a mediocre college tackle who projects as an average starter in the NFL at best, how about we go for a guy with a ton of upside in Alex Cappa? Like it or not, odds are Matt Kalil will be our left tackle through at least this season, baring injury, which would give Alex Cappa some time to develop. In terms of a skillset, Cappa unquestionably has what it takes to play in the NFL; the only question is if - and how quickly - he can adjust to a much higher level of competition.


3rd: Kyzir White, S, West Virginia: Safety seems like it's been a need forever and while there are a couple early round prospects I think would solve that problem - on one side, at least - at this point in the 3rd round, Kyzir White offers solid value and is a guy who should be able to step in early-on and play if need be, and given the age and lack of depth at both safety spots, that could be important.


5th: Eddy Pineiro, K, Florida: Graham Gano had a solid year in 2017, but does anyone here really feel comfortable giving him another contract? We should obviously have kept Harrison Butker instead of letting him go for nothing to KC, but that's water under the bridge at this point. Florida's Eddy Pineiro is one of the better kickers in this class and would hopefully be a long-term solution at the position for us.


6th: Mike Love, DE, South Florida: I really wanted to address the pass rush much earlier than this, but looking at the options I wasn't exactly crazy about who I felt would likely be available with our earlier picks. That being the case, if we do have to wait until the 6th round to take a pass rusher, we should take a guy with some good upside and South Florida's Mike Love is just such a prospect.


7th (f/BUF): Adam Breneman, TE, Massachusetts: Greg Olsen has - realistically - another year or two as a top TE in him, so we should obviously start looking for his long-term replacement. While this is a pretty weak TE class overall - especially at the top of the draft - Adam Breneman from UMass is a prospect with some upside who could develop into a starter down the road. And in the 7th round, why not take a shot on that?


7th: Aikeem Coleman, DE, Idaho: Again, in the 7th round, the best you can really hope for is a player with some upside and potential to develop into a contributor. We need depth at DE as well as long-term starters; maybe, just maybe, we can get lucky with a guy like Aikeem Coleman late in the draft.

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LinvilleGorge Grand Master

LinvilleGorge

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All options should always be on the table always. We have an extra 3rd, so if there's a guy slipping who we really like we should be willing to move up a few spots to grab him (#24 + one of our 3rds should be able to get us up into the 18/19 range). On the other hand, if there's no one there that we love at 24 we should field some calls if there's any offers. I would like to stay in the 1st though due to that 5th year option. But yeah, trade down a few spots and pick up say another 3rd? Yeah, I'd definitely do that if the board didn't fall the right way for us.

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Saca312 Experienced

Saca312

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54 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

A nickelback in the 1st? Please no. Josh Jackson fits our typical CB mold a lot better.

imo, i highly doubt once the combine hits any team would consider him as just a nickelback.

even then, another i really like (but doubt will fall) is Calvin Ridley. However, despite saying so if he wasn't so old, I'd have him as a top 5 guy. With his age, I think somewhere around our pick is reasonably reasonable pertaining to value.

Talent is there, but age and market share always point that age does play a factor. Could definitely be possible Ridley's an outlier based on tape, but who knows.

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Hoenheim Grand Master

Hoenheim

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Man that looks like a really boring draft besides getting EQ which I agree look like a bad ass WR . I think he's comparable to Martavus Bryant, hes pretty tall but he's unusually fast and acrobatic/atheltic for his height, and nowhere near as heavy footed or weigh as much as KB. 

 

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