The Carolina Panthers’ decision to trade for Sam Darnold, the former New York Jets first round, caused shock waves from the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
The Panthers have long been considered a contender to trade in for one of this year’s top quarterback prospects, or at least select one with their first round pick at No. 8 overall.
Now, with Darnold in tow, Carolina is a prime contender to trade in their first-rounder if a quarterback slips into their roster.
In the final 2021 NFL mock draft of The Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling, the Panthers trade with the Chicago Bears, landing North Dakota State’s Trey Lance eighth-pick.
The Panthers should definitely take Lance themselves here, but after he traded for Sam Darnold and picked up his fifth-year option, that seems unlikely. Instead, they start a bidding war between the Bears and Washington. I think the Bears are a little more desperate, which means they end up offering every extra choice needed to seal the deal on Washington’s best offer.
Yes, the Bears have publicly committed to Andy Dalton as their 2021 starter, but beyond that, there’s no plan. The Ryan Pace / Matt Nagy combo is running out of time to save their job, and hiring a long-term quarterback prospect like Lance could help their case gain more time. Dalton starts with week 1 and Lance takes over as soon as he’s ready. It shouldn’t be long before he’s a better option than Dalton, either.
While I like Easterling’s thinking process with this move – that is, go upstairs and get a quarterback – I’m not sure the intended player is the right one.
Lance is an exciting prospect entering the league with the kind of qualities that NFL coaches crave, but he is an extremely inexperienced starter who has only played against FCS competition.
He doesn’t fit the profile of the kind of quarterback who can save jobs, especially the jobs of two guys – Pace and Nagy – entering a win-or-else season.
Should the Bears trade in for a quarterback this year? Definitely yes. Should it be for Lance? No. Instead, check out Justin Fields, whose ostensible day slide is increasingly looking like a legitimate opportunity.