Plan Five – Things About To Get Trade-y
The Panthers send the 16th and 154th overall picks to New England in return for the 32nd, 64th, 97th, 205th and 246th overall picks.
First, the return for this trade is based on the trades that Baltimore made in 2018 that turned the 16th, 154th and 215th overall picks into the 25th, 65th and 125th overall picks via a pair of trades with Buffalo and Tennessee – as well as the trade that Seattle made with Atlanta in 2017 which turned the 26th overall pick into the 31st, 95th and 249th overall picks.
Second, this makes sense for the Patriots as they have a ridiculous wealth of draft picks but, as they are likely looking to retool for another run at a title, they would probably rather get a few key players who can help get them over the line than a wealth of day three picks. Given that this would still leave them with the 56th, 73rd, 101st and 134th overall picks as well as three late seventh rounders, they could make this trade without it being viewed as going all in while also giving them a shot at an elite prospect, quite likely an offensive skill position player.
From the Panthers’ point of view, this trade would allow them a chance to allow the dust to settle should they not have a player they love left on their board at 16 while allowing them to stockpile picks to add the depth that they have missed in recent seasons.
32nd Overall: Greg Little, OT (Ole Miss)
Little was seen by many as a potential top-10 pick going into the season, but his stock has cooled as of late after a mediocre combine that likely caused him to slip to the #4 tackle on many boards. However, as with DJ Moore a year ago, Little is an intriguing player in that he shows all the skills a team might want in an offensive tackle but just not all the time – and rarely all together in a dominant way. He is certainly a player who would benefit from some good coaching but showed enough in college to have a chance to earn a starting spot either at tackle or maybe guard as a rookie, while also being one of maybe three tackles in this class with the upside of being a franchise left tackle down the road. He might be in play at 16, but this is a pick the Panthers would probably feel happier with at 32.
47th Overall: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, FS (Florida)
The predictions of where CGJ might go are all over the place right now, with him being mocked everywhere from the first to the fourth, but if he is on the board at this point, I’m sure the Panthers would be delighted to select him. At Florida, he largely played in the slot – and there might well be teams that look to use him at nickel, but his range, instincts and ball skills have many viewing him as a deep field safety. There could be some growing pains as he looks to adjust to this new role, but his athleticism would allow the Panthers to do things schematically that no player they have on the roster right now allows them to do.
64th Overall: Jachai Polite, EDGE (Florida)
It was not so long ago Polite was being mocked to the Panthers at 16, but that was before he shot himself in multiple limbs at the combine, reportedly faring poorly in interviews, complaining about those interviews when talking to the media and then finally testing well below expectations on the field. Add to that the fact that he is likely going to be something of a hybrid rotational piece in the NFL in the short term and he has almost certainly killed his first round value, the big question now is how far all that will have dropped him for teams; some mocks already have him falling well, well past the end of the first round. After all, you don’t get articles like this written about you for nothing. With all that said, however, Polite really can rush the passer and that is always going to have a value; add to that the fact that the Panthers hybrid defense would be one of the better fits for Polite and this is far from an impossibility.
77th Overall: Damien Harris, RB (Alabama)
Josh Jacobs might be the running back for the modern NFL, but if you want a pure ball carrier, it’s hard to get past Harris – given the fact that the Panthers are unlikely to ever want to throw the ball to a running back not named McCaffrey, the combination of the two would make a lot of sense. As a runner, Harris exhibits excellent vision, agility and balance, allowing him to consistently find the open rushing lane and get through it. He might not have the upside as a receiver that teams will look for in an early receiver draft pick in the modern NFL, but he’d be excellent value in the third.
97th Overall: Anthony Nelson, DE/DT (Iowa)
Jerry Tillery might be something of a surprise pick for the Panthers at 16, but the idea of them looking to add somebody who can play the 3-tech in a 3-4 defense is far from surprising. While Nelson largely played 4-3 DE at Iowa, at 6-7 and a shade over 270 pounds, Nelson certainly has the size to play inside and despite good tape and testing numbers has fallen largely under the radar to this point making him good value in the third.
100th Overall: Connor McGovern, iOL (Penn State)
The Panthers needs on the offensive line might have decreased after free agency, but it’s still pretty large – even if they get an offensive tackle in the first round, they could well look to double down with an interior offensive lineman later on. McGoven played both C and OG at Penn State and could give them a valuable depth piece with an outside chance to win the starting spot at LG from day one.
115th Overall: Sean Bunting, CB (Central Michigan)
The Panthers’ need for another developmental corner has been established in the earlier mocks, and Bunting is probably the best they could hope for if they don’t address the position through the first two rounds of the draft. He does need some development, especially in zone, but his tape is surprisingly good and his testing is excellent – making his availability on day three a pleasant surprise if things work out that way.
187th Overall: Diontae Johnson, WR (Toledo)
The Panthers appear to be moving on from Damiere Byrd, and even if they do bring him back they would be foolish to assume he will be healthy given his history; as such, they could do with a speed receiver who can also contribute as a returner. Johnson seems to be well down most teams’ big boards – even if he does have some fans around the NFL because he offers a really nice contribution of upside and short-term special teams value.
205th Overall: Cole Holcomb, OLB (North Carolina)
At this stage of the draft, teams are looking for depth with upside, and that is exactly what Holcomb offers. He is a good run defender with good movement skills in space and also would fill a depth need with the Panthers at LB.
246th Overall: Drew Anderson, QB (Murray State)
The Panthers are probably going to find it hard to get good value if they want to add a quarterback given the limited quality of this QB class, but with a pick this late, the Panthers can effectively view this pick as priority boarding for the UDFA market. Anderson needs a lot of work in terms of both his footwork and his ability to function as part of an NFL offense, but he’s got one hell of an arm.
