NFL draft mailbag: How can Panthers gain more picks? Who could be a trade candidate?
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2023 NFL Draft
The Carolina Panthers hold the top pick in this year’s draft and there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding the team and what it will do. Check out all our pre-draft coverage here.
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The 2023 NFL Draft is nearly here, and with the Panthers slated to pick first overall, the excitement in Charlotte is palpable.
Carolina owns six picks during draft weekend, and Panthers fans are eagerly awaiting their potential roster upgrades. That’s why The Observer has brought back its weekly mailbag to answer the fan base’s questions.
Below are some standout questions from this week’s Twitter mailbag:
TFB asks: Could we see a player moved this week to try to grab another day 2-3 draft pick?
Mike Kaye: Although I think it’s unlikely that the Panthers move a player for picks during the draft, the three players who do come to mind as possibilities are quarterback Matt Corral, EDGE rusher Yetur Gross-Matos and tight end Tommy Tremble.
To be clear, this is simply connecting dots based on context clues.
With Corral, the opportunity is obvious. Although the Panthers traded up to select Corral in the third round last year, his outlook for playing time isn’t particularly optimistic. He’s working for a new coaching staff, the team traded up to the No. 1 pick to nab the future face of their franchise at quarterback, and Andy Dalton was brought in to immediately mentor that rookie. So, objectively — on paper — Corral seems destined to be No. 3 on the depth chart.
However, GM Scott Fitterer said last week that Corral has gained weight and looks ready to compete for playing time. While that sounds nice and all, it’s hard to believe the Panthers would make the first overall pick anything less than the No. 2 guy on the depth chart coming out of camp. Dalton is a longtime starter and former franchise quarterback who is getting paid pretty well, so again, it’s hard to see him being as anything less than the backup.
Corral is in an awkward spot, through no fault of his own. He was a pick of the previous coaching staff, and he never took the field because of some bad luck with a preseason Lisfranc foot injury.
It’s also hard to know what Corral’s trade value would be. He fell to the third round last year as part of a quarterback class that was considered to be noticeably less appealing than this year’s group. And as previously mentioned, he has no meaningful work on his NFL resume.
Would it really be worth taking a loss on a trade this early in a manageable contract at the most important position on the team?
Wild things can happen at the quarterback position, and Corral appears to be motivated to prove himself. The Panthers would probably be wise to take Corral to training camp. If there’s an injury elsewhere during the preseason, maybe the Panthers can leverage a strong exhibition showing from Corral into a Day 2 pick.
Either way, moving Corral without leverage doesn’t make much sense unless he wants out.
Regarding Tremble, the Panthers just signed Hayden Hurst to a long-term deal and reworked Ian Thomas’ contract. Both of those veteran players will take on the bulk of the snaps at tight end. Like Tremble, Hurst is a speed, yards-after-catch weapon, and the Panthers aren’t likely to take him off the field much, especially because he’s a solid enough blocker.
Tremble could have some value to another team if they miss out on some of their top targets at tight end. Like with Corral though, a trade only makes sense if the Panthers can get solid value (read: a fourth- or fifth-round pick) for him.
Tremble as a solid No. 3 tight end isn’t a bad situation heading into camp.
Gross-Matos, to me, makes the most sense as a draft weekend trade chip. The Panthers are moving to a 3-4 defense, and Gross-Matos feels like an odd fit for that front in the pros. Listed as 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds, he’s a bit too bulky to be a full-time outside linebacker, but he’s also not big enough to play three- or five-technique in an odd scheme.
The Panthers will use a hybrid scheme, so Gross-Matos could be used effectively in sub-package role, in theory.
That said, he might be of more value to a team that liked him as a 2020 draft prospect. Another team could view him as a cheap consolation prize after missing out on a top-50 player at the EDGE position.
Still only 25, Gross-Matos has one year left on his deal, and he could be a logical upside rental for a 4-3 defense that is light on experience or rotational depth. Given his contract outlook and NFL resume at this point, a fifth-round pick could make sense for Gross-Matos.
Jeff asks: Do you see the Panthers moving up and down the board on day 2 and 3? Will Carolina look to free agency after the draft to fill more needs if asking prices go down, etc.?
MK: On the subject of trades, the “move down” feels much more likely than a player swap. At No. 39, the Panthers are likely to draw interest from teams that have specific needs with first-round grades on falling players.
However, Carolina shouldn’t just move back for the sake of adding a couple of Day 3 picks. Instead, they should try to strategically move back to either gain an extra third-round pick (and change) this year, or gain a 2024 second-round pick to replenish their potential haul for next offseason after the trade to No. 1.
The No. 93 pick (third-round selection from San Francisco) is late on Day 2 and probably won’t warrant the return value that the Panthers should crave — unless they want a few late-round picks to mitigate the negotiating rush of undrafted free agency.
Following Sam Franklin’s re-signing on Tuesday, the Panthers have 65 players under contract. With six draft picks, the Panthers will have roughly 71 players accounted for after the weekend. That means there are 19 additional openings on the roster, so most holes will be filled by undrafted rookies.
However, an EDGE rusher like Leonard Floyd could make sense if the Panthers miss out on a Day 2 target. Still, it’s hard to know what the Panthers’ approach would be after the draft with the selection process still on-deck.
Eric Buck asks: Would the Panthers be willing to take a tight end in Round 2 after signing Hayden Hurst?
MK: I would be pretty surprised to see the Panthers target a tight end in the second round. However, if someone like Utah’s Dalton Kincaid or Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer were to fall to No. 39, Carolina could potentially be swayed to chase value over need, which is a smart strategy.
As mentioned in the first section, the Panthers signed Hurst AND reworked Thomas’ deal. That combination of contract work means the Panthers likely view the duo as a two-year tandem. Still, the Panthers shouldn’t shut down the position just because they have two guys in place. Sure, Tremble, Giovanni Ricci and Stephen Sullivan are under contract, but none of them have deals beyond 2024.
Realistically, the fourth round feels like the sweet spot for the Panthers at tight end.
Old Dominion’s Zack Kuntz and Alabama’s Cameron Latu are big-bodied targets with starter potential down the road. Those two prospects make a lot of sense from a value standpoint, in theory, compared with taking a second-round tight end over an EDGE rusher, cornerback or wideout.
Jared Feinberg asks: Do you think linebacker should be addressed early (Day 2) or later in the draft (Day 3)?
MK: With the Panthers’ linebacker depth chart, the beauty is really in the eye of the beholder.
Carolina brought back Shaq Thompson on a pay cut, and he will start at one inside linebacker spot. Frankie Luvu, the Panthers’ breakout defender from last season, is likely to start next to Thompson in the base 3-4 formation.
From there, Jeremy Chinn will man the middle in dime packages, while Brandon Smith, last year’s fourth-round pick, provides depth. The Panthers also have practice-squad holders, Arron Mosby and Chandler Wooten, under contract.
Although some may view the current group as being mediocre or middling, Carolina can’t fix every position in one offfseason, and inside linebacker is probably low on its initial positional importance list.
The second round feels a bit rich for a linebacker selection. The team has needs at EDGE rusher, wideout and cornerback, and those three positions should have some notable prospects available at No. 39.
The Panthers also own the No. 93 pick (from San Francisco) in the third round. But, with two fourth-round picks and a fifth-round selection, the Panthers would probably prefer to snag a linebacker on Day 3.
Some mid-round linebackers who make sense from a scheme standpoint are Wisconsin’s Nick Herbig, Tulane’s Dorian Williams and Alabama’s Henry To’o To’o. Oregon’s Noah Sewell could also makes sense as a Day 3 target.
This story was originally published April 25, 2023 at 6:30 AM with the headline "NFL draft mailbag: How can Panthers gain more picks? Who could be a trade candidate?."
