The 2020 NFL draft is now just three weeks and a day away. Whether there’s an ongoing global pandemic or a zombie apocalypse, it’s clear this thing is going forward as scheduled.
That means we are now in the home stretch as teams prepare for a draft under unusual circumstances. With no pro days or visits allowed due to COVID-19, front offices around the league are on the spot to find ways to evaluate this year’s prospects in untraditional ways.
No matter who the Carolina Panthers have their eye on going into the draft, there’s no way they will be able to fill all of their roster holes with a handful of rookies. The team has lost seven starters on defense alone this offseason, potentially making this the worst unit in football right now.
There’s still time to improve the roster before they’re on the clock at No. 7, though and general manager Marty Hurney has not been shy about wheeling and dealing lately. He’s already traded Trai Turner to the Chargers for Russell Okung and Kyle Allen to the Redskins for a fifth-round pick.
If Hurney isn’t through making deals, here are three players who might be on the trade block he should consider calling about.
TE David Njoku
The Panthers lost a ton of talent at tight end when they released long-time veteran Greg Olsen. Signing Seth DeValve helps some but he’s not a pass-catching threat and new offensive coordinator Joe Brady is going to need as many weapons as possible to run his scheme properly, so adding another tight end is a good idea.
The Browns just signed former Falcons star Austin Hooper to a four-year, $42 million contract, so it’s possible that Njoku might be on his way out in Cleveland. While his 2019 season was cut short due to injury, he flashed enough from 2017-2018 to be worth a look.
During those two seasons, Njoku caught 88 passes, totaling 1,025 yards and eight touchdowns. He was also very effective moving the chains, with half of his catches going for first downs.
In the right system, Njoku could yet develop into a quality TE1 and prove he was worth a first-round pick. At the very least, adding him to the mix with projected starter Ian Thomas would give Carolina more ammunition at a spot that needs it.
DE Yannick Ngakoue
With both Mario Addison (Bills) and Bruce Irvin (Seahawks) leaving in free agency, the team desperately needs to add another starting-quality EDGE defender to pair with 2019 first-round pick Brian Burns. Jadeveon Clowney is likely going to be too expensive to sign, but Ngakoue would make a hell of a consolation prize.
Ngakoue is a ferocious pass rusher, totaling 37.5 sacks and 85 quarterback hits in just four seasons so far. He’s also as disruptive as any defensive lineman that’s likely to be available this year outside of Clowney. Best of all, he’s still in his prime at just 25 years old.
The Jaguars have hit Ngakoue with the franchise tag – worth $19.316 million this year. However, he’s made it clear that he wants to move on based on a tweet from Tuesday when he said it’s obvious his time is up. Trading for and then signing Ngakoue to a long-term deal won’t be cheap. However, it would solidify the book-ends for the defense a long time and allow the Panthers to focus on other positions of need.
G Joe Thuney
One of those positions is guard, which has undergone a pretty radical transformation this offseason and not in a good way. Trading Turner to the Chargers didn’t make much sense from our point of view and then losing Greg Van Roten to the Jets only made matters worse.
John Miller should take over for Turner at right guard. Now, the Panthers need to find a replacement for Van Roten on the other side. Thuney is as good as it’s going to get this year. He was recently hit with New England’s franchise tag, which would pay him $14.78 million in 2020.
We already profiled Thuney as a potential free agent target before he was tagged and he’s still a great fit for all of the same reasons.
