NFL Draft Rumors: Surprise Team With Top-10 Pick ‘Lurking’ In QB Market?

You would think that the Carolina Panthers have their quarterback situation all taken care of ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft.

After all, they added Sam Darnold this offseason, a guy who was the No. 3 overall pick just three years ago. But with such a robust pool of quarterbacks to pick from in this year’s draft, especially in the high first round, the thinking around the NFL apparently is that the Panthers might get a quarterback.

“One GM and one scout — neither affiliated with the Panthers — told me that they’ve heard the Panthers could be lurking at No. 8 in the quarterback market,” ESPN’s Todd McShay wrote Tuesday. “Yes, even after trading for Sam Darnold earlier this month, and yes, with Teddy Bridgewater also still on the roster as competition. Ohio State’s Justin Fields’ name was tossed around as the guy in mind.”

It’s worth noting Bridgewater seems likely to be traded or cut.

If a guy like Fields falls to them, it would be hard to pass on him. But at the same time, trading for Darnold and then not surrounding him with useful weapons seems counterproductive. One of Darnold and Fields (or whichever quarterback they hypothetically would take) would win the starting job, and then, to oversimplify things, they effectively either wasted the No. 8 pick in the draft or made a useless trade.

Whatever the case might be, we will know the Panthers’ course soon. The NFL draft is set for Thursday.