The Carolina Panthers need more picks if they’re going to climb out of the hole they find themselves in going into the 2020 NFL draft. With so many weak roster spots to improve, they’ll have to trade down to collect more capital at some point if they hope to address them all.
Here are three trade-down scenarios that make sense for Carolina, one for each day of the draft.
Day 1: Panthers trade No. 7 pick to Broncos for No. 15, No. 46, No. 77 and No. 178 picks
No. 15 – CJ Henderson, CB, Florida
In this scenario, Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah is off the board early, so the Panthers decide to move down and take a crack at the next-best cornerback in this draft class. Henderson is an excellent man cover corner with elite athleticism and should continue improving at the next level. He will need to work on his tackling, though.
No. 46 – Justin Madubuike, DT, Texas A&M
After losing Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe to free agency, Carolina needs to reload the interior of the defensive line. Madubuike (6-foot-3, 304 pounds) is more than just a space-eater. He will also draw double teams as a pass rusher. Over the last two seasons, he totaled 11 sacks and 22.5 tackles for a loss.
No. 77 – Logan Wilson, S/LB, Wyoming
Wilson is one of this year’s most underrated defensive prospects and he has the ability to do a little bit of everything. Last year, he posted four interceptions, 8.5 tackles for a loss, seven pass breakups and a sack. Wilson’s ability to play safety or linebacker helps two areas of need for a defense that will need hybrid players.
No. 178 – Myles Dorn, S, UNC
Dorn (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) is a developmental defensive back who would provide some much-needed depth at the safety position behind Tre Boston and Juston Burris. On top of solid ball skills (six career interceptions) Dorn is a solid tackler (10.5 tackles for a loss).
Day 2: Panthers trade No. 38 pick to Dolphins for No. 56 and No. 87 picks
No. 56 – Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA
One cornerback is not going to be enough for Carolina to fill its needs at this position. Here, they double-dip by picking up Holmes in round two. With Javien Elliott out of the picture, Holmes would step in and start at nickel corner right away. He totaled eight interceptions and 17 pass breakups in college.
No. 87 – Shane Lemieux, G, Oregon
Guard is another sore spot for the Panthers going into this draft. John Miller should replace Trai Turner at right guard, but they need a successor to Greg Van Roten at left guard. Lemieux (6-foot-4, 310 pounds) has a lot of experience at that spot and also has the awareness and football IQ to potentially replace Matt Paradis at center in the future.
Day 3: Panthers trade No. 113 pick to Eagles for No. 145 and No. 146 picks
No. 145 – Thaddeus Moss, TE, LSU
Tight end is not the deepest position group in this class, but this pick would make a nice fit for Joe Brady’s offense. Moss (6-foot-3, 249 pounds) has experience playing for him at LSU. In 2019, he caught 47 passes, totaling 570 yards and four touchdowns.
No. 146 – Kenny Willekes, DE, Michigan State
Willekes is one of several EDGE prospects the team has shown interest in leading up to the draft. His production over the last three seasons was terrific – totaling 23.5 sacks and 49 tackles for a loss. Getting him this late in the draft might qualify as a steal.
