2021 NFL draft: 3 potential trade-down partners for the Carolina Panthers in round one
The Carolina Panthers have been as aggressive as any team in the NFL the last couple of months, signing players to fill their immediate needs and trading for a new starting quarterback. All these moves frees them up to take the best player available at No. 8 overall, or trade down to add more picks.
Right now, it looks like the franchise wants to move down. Peter King reported the Panthers want more picks than they currently have and Adam Schefter has reported that Carolina has had conversations about dealing down from the No. 8 spot. Here are three potential trade-down partners.
New England Patriots: No. 15
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Bill Belichick clearly didn't enjoy his first losing season since the year 2000. New England went on an unprecedented spending spree in free agency, signing the top two tight ends in Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith plus receivers Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor, giving Cam Newton the weapons he was so sorely missing last year. Newton re-signed with the Patriots on another incentive-heavy one-year contract. However, his bad luck with health and injuries hasn't improved since he left Carolina and he'll turn 32 next month. It would make sense of the Pats to try to draft a new potential franchise QB this year. There's a lot of buzz about New England's interest in Justin Fields, who can replicate much of Newton's skillset. If Fields somehow falls to No. 8, the Panthers have to at least consider taking him, but trading down with the Patriots or another QB-needy team could get them a massive boost in draft capital, allowing them to fill out the rest of their roster.
Washington Football Team: No. 19
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Former Carolina head coach Ron Rivera's new team is in a very interesting position heading into 2021. Washington has one of the league's most ferocious defensive units and a window to win right away in a relatively weak NFC East division. That said, their offense still has a lot of question marks, even after signing Curtis Samuel to a three-year deal. Ryan Fitzpatrick will be their starter this year but he's obviously not going to be their quarterback of the future given his advanced age. WFT could use a dynamic young passer to pair with Samuel and Terry McLaurin, who should make for an excellent 1-2 punch at wide receiver. If Washington wants to move up for a quarterback, they the incentive to do so plus the requisite connections with Carolina's front office.
Chicago Bears: No. 20
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The Bears went all out trying to trade for Seahawks QB Russell Wilson but in the end they were told no. Chicago stayed on-brand by signing Andy Dalton to a one-year, $10 million deal and inexplicably naming him their starting quarterback months before the draft. Very few teams around the NFL are under more pressure to turn things around this season. They've finished 8-8 two years in a row and need to make aggressive moves to have any hope of catching up with the Packers in the NFC North. If Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace don't produce a winning record in 2021 they're both in danger of being fired. The last time Pace moved up for a quarterback it didn't work out great, but if he's ready to roll the dice again then the Panthers would make a lot of sense to deal with.
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