The verdict is in - and at this point if the Carolina Panthers wind up taking anybody but Jalon Walker with the No. 8 overall pck it would come as a surprise. However, there is no guarantee that the Panthers will stay put at that spot. In fact, a lot of evidence suggests they're looking to move down, including recent comments by general manager Dan Morgan that made it clear they are open for business to teams looking to move up into the top 10.
That seems to be the expectation for some analysts now, including Daniel Jeremiah from NFL Network. Here's how he replied when he was asked about Jalon Walker's fit for the Panthers, per Mike Kaye at the Charlotte Observer.
"First of all, they're a team that a lot of people around the league expect is going to try and get out. There's a decent number of needs still left on that roster. Can't they parlay New Orleans' need for a quarterback into scaring somebody to come up in front of New Orleans? I don't know if they can pull that off, but at least there's people around the league that think they're going to effort to do that in Carolina."
This checks out - as trading down is probably the team's best possible move in Round 1 - assuming a blue chip piece like Abdul Carter or Mason Graham don't fall out of the top seven. The Panthers need starpower but more importantly they need depth just about everywhere on their roster outside of the offensive line. Moving down for more picks is the best way to bring the overall top-53 to a more respectable level - especially going against well-rounded rivals like the Buccaneers.
However, some people think the Panthers will move in a different direction. Earlier this week on Pro Football Talk Mike Florio stated that they could trade up with the Giants to the third overall spot, targeting Colorado two-way superstar Travis Hunter or Penn State stud Abdul Carter on the edge.
