ROUND 4
TRADE: The Panthers send the 113th Pick to Jacksonville for picks 157, 165, 189 and 223.
The Jaguars are looking to rebuild, and aren’t exactly looking to be the best possible team in 2020 – but they also have an awful lot of picks on day three, and may well be interested in bundling them together for a chance to get a player who has fallen into the final day of the draft. For the Panthers, this is a chance to add some more picks as they look to continue to retool across a number of positions.
TRADE: The Panthers send the 141st, 153rd and 185th Overall picks to Philadelphia in return for picks 127 and 145.
Having traded down in return for a cache of picks with Jacksonville, the Panthers now look to move back up and give up one of the many mid-round picks they have so far collected to do so. For the Eagles, they are able to add another pick without having to make a huge move and in so doing allow the Panthers to grab the player they have targeted in this range. Which brings us to…
127th Overall: Logan Wilson, LB (Wyoming); 6-2, 241 lbs
They could stand to add more depth at the linebacker position and need players who can offer more of a long-term solution than the temporary Tahir Whitehead band-aid. Wilson might need some time to adjust to the speed of the NFL game, but the converted safety shows great range and instincts in coverage with the ball skills to take advantage, as well as the excellent tackling technique and good hand usage in the run game to be a high quality starting linebacker down the line.
TRADE: The Panthers send the 145, 148th (from WAS), 152nd, and 184th overall picks to Houston for picks 171, 240, 248 and 250 as well as both their 2021 fourth Round picks and their 2021 sixth Round pick
The trades that the Panthers have made to this point have meant they have collected a series of fifth and sixth round picks, and while they could stand to continue to add players, there are only going to be so many spots they can assigned to rookies on the roster. This trade allows them to turn a number of these mid-round picks into future picks while also giving them a handful of very late picks that can essentially be viewed as priority UDFA spots.
Bill O’Brian has made it clear he wants his team to be good now – even if he isn’t willing to work with DeAndre Hopkins to do that – and this would allow him to fill out his roster with mid-round picks in return for future picks and some pocket change.
ROUND 5
157th Overall: Shane Lemieux, OG (Oregon); 6-4, 310 lbs
Photo Credit: David Madison/Getty Images
Despite adding John Miller in free agency, with both Van Roten and Turner now gone, the Panthers’ already thin guard depth chart now looks even thinner. While Lemieux might not be a plug-and-play starter, he has the power and the movement skills for teams to be excited about his ceiling while his good pad level and hand usage should allow him to be a competent starter from day one if required – but at this point, it’s all about adding depth at a position of need.
165th Overall: James Lynch, DL (Baylor); 6-4, 289 lbs
You probably knew this was coming. Lynch is somewhere between an undersized defensive tackle and an oversized defensive end, but his good hand usage, bend and power would make him a useful rotation piece for a team with the defensive creativity to get the most out of his talent, which, given his familiarity with Rhule and Snow, will likely be the Panthers.
Love this idea. It’s simple math. The more picks you have the less you risk wasting a high pick on a bust. We need more than just another star. We need depth. That’s what wins in the NFL.